Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the United States will no longer carry the defense burden for wealthy allied nations, tying the Trump administration’s demand for higher NATO spending to its focus on countering China in the Indo-Pacific.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Friday that the United States will no longer “subsidize” the defense of wealthy allied nations, renewing pressure on NATO’s European members to increase military spending as the Trump administration shifts more attention and resources toward the Indo-Pacific.
Hegseth made the remarks during the annual International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where he described Washington’s defense posture as one built around shared responsibility rather than continued reliance on U.S. military power.
“The era of the United States subsidizing the defense of wealthy nations is over. We need partners, not protectorates. We seek alliances built on shared responsibility, not dependency,” Hegseth said, according to an official Department of War statement.
Hegseth connected the Trump administration’s NATO spending demands to its broader security strategy in Asia, saying U.S. policy is increasingly focused on the Indo-Pacific and on countering what he called Chinese “hegemony” in the region.
The comments revive a long-running dispute between Washington and European NATO governments over whether allied nations are contributing enough to their own defense. NATO members agreed in 2014 to spend at least 2% of gross domestic product on defense, but many European Union countries failed to meet that target for years.
Former President Barack Obama also criticized allies over the issue, saying in a 2016 interview that “free riders aggravate me” while pressing NATO members to increase defense spending.
According to NATO’s official figures, all 32 members reached the 2% benchmark for the first time in 2025. Even so, the United States still accounted for 60% to 62% of NATO’s total military spending last year.
During a question-and-answer session after his Singapore address, Hegseth said 2% defense spending amounted to “freeloading.”
NATO members last year agreed to work toward spending 5% of GDP on defense and security by 2035, including a 3.5% core defense spending target.
The higher goal has drawn resistance from several governments. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the 5% target “unreasonable” and “counterproductive,” while Belgium and Slovakia have also raised concerns about the size of the proposed increase.
The dispute has also widened beyond defense budgets as some European governments have pushed back against U.S. requests tied to the Iran conflict. Spain opposed the military action against Iran and refused to allow U.S. forces to use joint bases for offensive operations, while France and Germany called for diplomacy.
President Donald Trump later criticized NATO allies over their response, saying it was “pretty shocking” that countries supporting America’s objectives “don’t want to help.”
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