WEBVTT 00:00.720 --> 00:02.553 Good morning and welcome to this 00:02.553 --> 00:04.599 meeting of NATO defense ministers . 00:04.639 --> 00:07.880 This is the last milestone before our 00:07.880 --> 00:10.939 summit in Ankara in just 3 weeks . 00:12.039 --> 00:14.229 Today we will address how European 00:14.229 --> 00:16.118 allies and Canada are taking more 00:16.118 --> 00:18.229 responsibility for their conventional 00:18.229 --> 00:21.750 defense . To rebalance our security for 00:21.750 --> 00:24.629 the better , we are building a stronger 00:24.629 --> 00:28.280 Europe and a stronger NATO . That means 00:28.569 --> 00:30.791 allies demonstrating clear progress and 00:30.791 --> 00:33.970 a credible path towards investing 5% of 00:33.970 --> 00:36.770 GDP on defense . And turning that 00:36.770 --> 00:38.826 increased spending into combat ready 00:38.826 --> 00:42.240 forces and capabilities now . We are 00:42.240 --> 00:44.360 already seeing truly impressive 00:44.360 --> 00:47.520 progress . In 2025 , European allies 00:47.520 --> 00:51.389 and Canada invested over $90 billion 00:51.520 --> 00:54.270 990 billion dollars , more than a year 00:54.270 --> 00:56.639 before . That's an increase of nearly 00:56.639 --> 00:59.680 20% in a single year , and we are 00:59.680 --> 01:01.959 already seeing further increases when 01:01.959 --> 01:05.730 it comes to the books for 2026 . To 01:05.730 --> 01:07.650 accelerate defense production and 01:07.650 --> 01:09.928 innovation in Europe and North America , 01:09.928 --> 01:12.039 it is vital that you also turbocharge 01:12.039 --> 01:14.089 transatlantic defense cooperation . 01:14.489 --> 01:17.300 There's no other way . We will also 01:17.300 --> 01:19.660 discuss issues outside of Europe that 01:19.660 --> 01:22.620 very much affect our security . Allies 01:22.809 --> 01:25.769 have long agreed that Iran cannot be 01:25.769 --> 01:27.936 allowed to have a nuclear weapon , and 01:27.936 --> 01:30.970 today , as a result of US action , they 01:30.970 --> 01:33.470 are further from that than at any time 01:33.569 --> 01:36.089 in recent memory . We all are heartened 01:36.089 --> 01:38.145 by the prospects for peace following 01:38.145 --> 01:40.367 the U.S.Iran agreement . Pete , this is 01:40.367 --> 01:42.533 truly a remarkable achievement . Thank 01:42.533 --> 01:44.900 you . And of course thank the president 01:44.900 --> 01:46.678 for this . Restoring freedom of 01:46.678 --> 01:48.789 navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is 01:48.789 --> 01:50.844 vital for the global economy , so we 01:50.844 --> 01:52.789 will have the opportunity today to 01:52.789 --> 01:54.956 address allies' concrete contributions 01:54.956 --> 01:57.300 to international efforts to support 01:57.300 --> 02:00.919 freedom of navigation . On Ukraine , I 02:00.919 --> 02:03.141 expect further pledges of support to be 02:03.141 --> 02:05.141 made to the Ukraine Defense Contact 02:05.141 --> 02:07.360 Group later today because we must 02:07.360 --> 02:09.800 continue to step up and sustain our 02:09.800 --> 02:12.240 support so that Russia's brutal war 02:12.240 --> 02:15.380 ends . It is important that every ally 02:15.570 --> 02:17.626 does their fair share , particularly 02:17.626 --> 02:19.570 through NATO's plural initiative , 02:19.570 --> 02:21.839 given its effectiveness in providing 02:21.839 --> 02:24.039 crucial air defense which only the 02:24.039 --> 02:26.720 United States can deliver . But before 02:26.720 --> 02:28.831 we begin our closed session , my dear 02:28.831 --> 02:31.053 friend Pete , the US Secretary of War , 02:31.053 --> 02:33.276 has asked for the floor . So Pete , the 02:33.276 --> 02:35.619 floor is yours . Well , Mr . 02:35.729 --> 02:37.896 Secretary-General , uh , thank you for 02:37.896 --> 02:40.118 your leadership throughout and for this 02:40.118 --> 02:43.149 forum . And as I said at my first NATO 02:43.149 --> 02:45.371 defense ministerial last February , and 02:45.371 --> 02:47.427 as the Trump administration has said 02:47.427 --> 02:49.593 again and again in the last year and a 02:49.593 --> 02:52.589 half , our allies must step up . 02:53.539 --> 02:55.706 President Trump has been very clear on 02:55.706 --> 02:57.910 this point for many years and over 2 02:58.080 --> 03:00.136 administrations , and for too long , 03:00.136 --> 03:02.929 NATO has been a paper tiger and a 03:02.929 --> 03:05.479 one-way street . No more 03:06.800 --> 03:09.022 And that's what the Hague summit is all 03:09.022 --> 03:11.078 about . That's what defense spending 03:11.078 --> 03:12.633 commitments are all about . 03:12.633 --> 03:14.578 Transforming NATO back into a real 03:14.839 --> 03:17.320 military alliance that's focused on 03:17.610 --> 03:21.020 hard power and real deterrence . A NATO 03:21.080 --> 03:24.440 3.0 , modeled on the NATO 03:24.440 --> 03:27.630 1.0 that won the Cold War . With our 03:27.630 --> 03:29.869 allies actually taking the lead in 03:29.869 --> 03:32.750 Europe's conventional defense . And 03:32.750 --> 03:34.972 that's what NATO was always supposed to 03:34.972 --> 03:37.139 be and what its framers like President 03:37.139 --> 03:39.361 Eisenhower always expected . Europe was 03:39.361 --> 03:42.039 not supposed to be a dependency of the 03:42.039 --> 03:45.139 United States . That's not what Winston 03:45.139 --> 03:47.399 Churchill or Charles de Gaulle or 03:47.399 --> 03:49.960 Conrad Adenauer wanted or expected . No , 03:50.199 --> 03:52.639 Europe was supposed to be a military 03:52.639 --> 03:55.470 power allied with a strong America . 03:55.759 --> 03:59.660 This is the essence of NATO 1.0 . As 03:59.660 --> 04:01.960 Dwight Eisenhower himself said as early 04:01.960 --> 04:05.880 as 1951 , If in 04:05.880 --> 04:08.720 10 years all American troops stationed 04:08.720 --> 04:11.080 in Europe for national defense purposes 04:11.080 --> 04:13.360 have not been returned to the United 04:13.360 --> 04:16.809 States . Then this whole process will 04:16.809 --> 04:20.750 have failed . Eisenhower was Supreme 04:20.750 --> 04:22.750 Allied Commander then , not yet our 04:22.750 --> 04:24.917 nation's thirty-fourth president . But 04:24.917 --> 04:27.139 he and his allied counterparts , all of 04:27.139 --> 04:29.083 them still living in the shadow of 04:29.083 --> 04:31.194 World War II , understood that NATO's 04:31.194 --> 04:34.399 power did not come from committees or 04:34.399 --> 04:37.320 from meetings or from small flags on 04:37.320 --> 04:40.920 fancy tables . It came from warriors . 04:41.559 --> 04:43.726 And for Europe's defense , it had come 04:44.079 --> 04:46.899 from NATO allies . That was NATO 1.0 . 04:47.790 --> 04:50.339 A hard-edged warfighting organization 04:50.339 --> 04:53.799 focused on Europe's defense , but that 04:53.799 --> 04:57.059 spirit faded . After the Cold War ended , 04:57.630 --> 04:59.852 no longer focused on defending Europe , 04:59.852 --> 05:03.809 NATO 2.0 , drifted toward out of area 05:03.809 --> 05:05.976 operations and things that had nothing 05:05.976 --> 05:07.809 to do with war fighting at all . 05:07.809 --> 05:09.920 Instead of tanks and fighters and air 05:09.920 --> 05:13.190 defenses , the focus has been on gender 05:13.190 --> 05:15.910 equity and climate change and defense 05:15.910 --> 05:19.309 austerity . Europe's borders flew wide 05:19.309 --> 05:21.609 open , welfare states expanded , 05:21.660 --> 05:24.790 defense budgets cratered . Along with 05:24.790 --> 05:27.390 Europe's belief in itself and its 05:27.390 --> 05:30.940 civilization . NATO lost its 05:30.940 --> 05:33.850 way . NATO 2.0 was an era of 05:33.850 --> 05:37.260 distraction , deindustrialization , and 05:37.260 --> 05:40.140 demilitarization . It was an era of 05:40.140 --> 05:43.079 free riding . And those were lost years 05:43.579 --> 05:45.940 that we're not going back to . And 05:45.940 --> 05:47.940 that's why at the Department of War 05:47.940 --> 05:51.589 we've been so clear and so candid . To 05:51.589 --> 05:54.989 restore NATO's core military role and 05:54.989 --> 05:57.369 character . And that's why we've 05:57.369 --> 05:59.480 returned US troop levels in Europe to 05:59.480 --> 06:01.809 pre-2022 levels with the redeployment 06:01.809 --> 06:04.579 of a brigade combat team last year and 06:04.579 --> 06:06.739 further reduction of 5000 forces 06:06.739 --> 06:09.260 earlier this year . At the same time , 06:09.339 --> 06:11.506 it's why we've engaged with our allies 06:11.506 --> 06:13.739 so consistently . And it's why we've 06:13.739 --> 06:15.850 grown our own defense industrial base 06:15.850 --> 06:19.140 and encouraged to turn NATO 3.0 into 06:19.140 --> 06:21.709 reality . To return the alliance to its 06:21.709 --> 06:24.149 roots as a military alliance and ensure 06:24.149 --> 06:26.950 that it has the European strength 06:26.950 --> 06:28.980 required to sustainably deter 06:28.980 --> 06:32.549 aggression and if need be , make good 06:32.549 --> 06:36.470 on Article 5 . Some of our allies 06:36.470 --> 06:38.799 have gotten the message and stepped up . 06:38.970 --> 06:41.390 You know who you are and we very much 06:42.049 --> 06:44.410 appreciate it . Last year under 06:44.410 --> 06:46.632 President Trump's leadership , NATO set 06:46.632 --> 06:48.577 the new global standard for allied 06:48.577 --> 06:52.329 defense spending . 5% of GDP all in on 06:52.329 --> 06:55.559 defense . It's historic . And it's 06:55.559 --> 06:58.540 transformational . And some allies are 06:58.540 --> 07:00.596 already well on their way to meeting 07:00.596 --> 07:02.818 this ambitious target and in some cases 07:02.818 --> 07:04.984 ahead of schedule . And as you've seen 07:04.984 --> 07:07.089 over the last six months , President 07:07.089 --> 07:09.200 Trump is also committed to the United 07:09.200 --> 07:11.809 States' defense spending . More than $1 07:11.809 --> 07:13.890 trillion in 2026 and a commitment of 07:13.890 --> 07:17.690 $1.5 trillion in 2027 . We 07:17.690 --> 07:21.410 will lead and exceed our own 07:21.410 --> 07:23.890 NATO spending standards , and I'm 07:23.890 --> 07:27.290 personally on Capitol Hill in order to 07:27.290 --> 07:29.730 make sure we do it . It's not due as I 07:29.730 --> 07:32.929 say , it's due as we do . 07:33.980 --> 07:36.036 Some allies are also getting serious 07:36.036 --> 07:38.036 about how they're spending on their 07:38.036 --> 07:40.091 defense . In May , the Department of 07:40.091 --> 07:42.313 War told allies that we're reducing our 07:42.313 --> 07:44.536 contributions to the NATO force model . 07:44.536 --> 07:46.591 We also explained how allies can and 07:46.591 --> 07:49.040 should backfill those changes . General 07:49.040 --> 07:51.739 Grikowicz reports that some allies have 07:51.739 --> 07:53.739 stepped up accordingly , and it's a 07:53.739 --> 07:56.149 good start . At the same time just last 07:56.149 --> 07:58.316 month , a small group of strong allies 07:58.316 --> 08:00.869 gathered at Bergen . For a conversation 08:00.869 --> 08:03.230 about focused , focused allied defense 08:03.230 --> 08:05.790 spending on the capabilities required 08:05.790 --> 08:08.670 to defend Europe even in the event of 08:08.670 --> 08:10.950 simultaneous conflicts worldwide . 08:11.140 --> 08:14.739 Again , more serious progress . On 08:14.739 --> 08:17.489 Ukraine as well , progress through 08:17.489 --> 08:19.545 President Trump's Pearl initiative , 08:19.545 --> 08:21.656 allies have taken the lead in funding 08:21.656 --> 08:24.279 support for Ukraine's defense . The 08:24.279 --> 08:26.640 Ukrainians are holding their lines even 08:26.640 --> 08:28.519 in the face of sustained Russian 08:28.519 --> 08:31.079 assaults . We said it could be done . 08:31.929 --> 08:34.096 That our allies could lead and that it 08:34.096 --> 08:36.040 would be consistent with Ukraine's 08:36.040 --> 08:39.210 defense . It is happening and it's a 08:39.210 --> 08:41.409 validation of President Trump's 08:41.409 --> 08:43.570 approach , an approach that will set 08:43.570 --> 08:47.539 the table for peace . Yet for all these 08:47.539 --> 08:49.595 early steps in the right direction , 08:49.595 --> 08:51.817 there have also been real setbacks that 08:51.817 --> 08:54.320 we cannot ignore . For all of our 08:54.320 --> 08:57.200 clarity , too many allied capitals seem 08:57.200 --> 08:59.478 to still miss something in translation . 09:00.330 --> 09:02.441 Too many allies still don't recognize 09:02.441 --> 09:04.608 the historic need that President Trump 09:04.608 --> 09:06.552 has made clear to them and to NATO 09:06.552 --> 09:10.309 itself to reforge a relevant , powerful 09:10.570 --> 09:14.359 military alliance . As President Trump 09:14.500 --> 09:16.820 put it , and rightfully so , he gave 09:16.820 --> 09:20.619 our allies a test . To support America 09:20.619 --> 09:23.590 when we asked for their help . And too 09:23.590 --> 09:27.070 many failed it . The United States has 09:27.070 --> 09:30.200 defended Europe for generations . And 09:30.200 --> 09:32.422 the president said all he said was that 09:32.422 --> 09:34.478 our jets would need to take off from 09:34.478 --> 09:36.690 bases in Europe or our ships , our 09:36.690 --> 09:40.179 ships from ports . To strike targets in 09:40.179 --> 09:43.190 the Middle East . Iranian targets that 09:43.190 --> 09:45.301 threaten European interests even more 09:45.301 --> 09:48.869 directly than they threaten us . But 09:48.869 --> 09:52.590 too many of our allies said no . Or 09:52.590 --> 09:54.830 tried to drown us in arcane legal 09:54.830 --> 09:57.669 debates or criticized us publicly for 09:57.669 --> 10:00.349 doing what they aren't prepared or able 10:00.349 --> 10:02.950 to do themselves . It was shameful . 10:04.320 --> 10:06.487 These allies , they put America's sons 10:06.487 --> 10:08.764 and daughters , our sons and daughters , 10:08.764 --> 10:10.729 at risk . By denying them the 10:10.729 --> 10:12.659 predictable access basing and 10:12.659 --> 10:14.826 overflight that never should have been 10:14.826 --> 10:17.719 in question at all . In some cases we 10:17.719 --> 10:19.663 had to shift capabilities from one 10:19.663 --> 10:23.080 country to another out of NATO allied 10:23.080 --> 10:25.460 countries altogether . There's no 10:25.460 --> 10:27.880 excuse for that . And that's not to 10:27.880 --> 10:29.936 mention the fact that some countries 10:29.936 --> 10:31.936 have yet to show a credible path to 10:31.936 --> 10:34.047 meeting their Hague commitments , too 10:34.047 --> 10:35.991 much talk . Some of NATO's largest 10:35.991 --> 10:38.570 economies , some of our richest 10:38.570 --> 10:41.460 countries , allies that are happiest to 10:41.460 --> 10:43.016 go on about the rules-based 10:43.016 --> 10:45.127 international order and middle powers 10:45.127 --> 10:47.293 banding together , still seem to think 10:47.380 --> 10:49.213 the era of free riding is here . 10:49.710 --> 10:53.429 Eisenhower and Trump . Disagree 10:54.799 --> 10:56.632 This isn't what the president of 10:56.632 --> 10:58.688 America expects from this alliance . 10:58.799 --> 11:01.419 This is not what any reasonable person 11:01.520 --> 11:03.880 would expect . And it's not going to 11:03.880 --> 11:06.309 cut it anymore . And so we're doubling 11:06.309 --> 11:08.531 down on our effort to make NATO what it 11:08.531 --> 11:10.919 always was supposed to be , a balanced 11:10.919 --> 11:13.280 alliance with Europe in the lead for 11:13.280 --> 11:17.159 its own defense , NATO 3.0 . 11:18.090 --> 11:19.923 And to make that a reality , I'm 11:19.923 --> 11:22.500 announcing today a 6 month Department 11:22.500 --> 11:25.169 of War review that will examine 11:25.169 --> 11:28.049 America's force posture and basing in 11:28.049 --> 11:30.382 Europe . Up to 6 months , could be less . 11:30.760 --> 11:34.020 Let's call it the NATO 3.0 review . 11:34.880 --> 11:37.047 This review will be conducted with the 11:37.047 --> 11:38.936 benefit of inputs from the United 11:38.936 --> 11:41.269 States military , from European command . 11:41.269 --> 11:43.436 It will involve consultations with the 11:43.436 --> 11:46.989 US Congress and with our allies . But 11:46.989 --> 11:49.211 make no mistake about it , this will be 11:49.211 --> 11:51.840 a real review . It will be designed to 11:51.840 --> 11:54.039 ensure that NATO is moving fast and 11:54.039 --> 11:57.520 irreversibly toward Europe leading . 11:58.479 --> 12:00.035 Stepping up to take primary 12:00.035 --> 12:02.130 responsibility for the defense of 12:02.130 --> 12:04.770 Europe . Stepping up to ensure our 12:04.770 --> 12:08.049 forces are postured for America's 12:08.049 --> 12:10.690 global needs , and stepping up to make 12:10.690 --> 12:12.729 sure that our access facing and 12:12.729 --> 12:16.650 overflight are clearly delineated and 12:16.650 --> 12:20.080 assured . Any other country would do 12:20.080 --> 12:23.000 the same . At the same time going 12:23.000 --> 12:26.039 forward , our annual NATO dues will be 12:26.039 --> 12:28.559 contingent on other countries meeting 12:28.559 --> 12:31.659 their defense spending targets . Where 12:31.659 --> 12:34.039 other allies do not spend with urgency . 12:34.780 --> 12:36.891 Our dues contributions will go down . 12:38.229 --> 12:42.010 NATO will be a two-way street . It's 12:42.010 --> 12:45.150 only common sense . America cannot care 12:45.150 --> 12:48.229 for or pay more for Europe's defense 12:48.229 --> 12:51.119 than our allies do . And this review 12:51.119 --> 12:53.619 will think outside the box . Our 12:53.619 --> 12:55.452 national defense strategy states 12:55.452 --> 12:57.675 clearly that we're going to incentivize 12:57.675 --> 12:59.897 and enable our allies to step up and do 12:59.897 --> 13:02.008 their part . So we're going to keep a 13:02.008 --> 13:04.169 close ally , close eye on allies who 13:04.169 --> 13:06.989 are not doing that . And who say no , 13:07.690 --> 13:11.409 or maybe , or wait and see what it 13:11.409 --> 13:14.049 matters most . It's a review that some 13:14.049 --> 13:16.859 countries will fail . And others will 13:16.859 --> 13:19.679 pass with flying colors . In the end , 13:19.760 --> 13:23.049 the review is intended to both improve 13:23.049 --> 13:25.820 US force posture and basing . And 13:25.820 --> 13:29.400 strengthen NATO 3.0 . 13:30.049 --> 13:32.539 It's intended to be constructive . As 13:32.539 --> 13:35.080 we have always been . There are no 13:35.080 --> 13:37.080 strategic surprises here , there 13:37.080 --> 13:39.302 haven't been . I've been clear with all 13:39.302 --> 13:41.413 of you since my first remarks to this 13:41.413 --> 13:44.080 body in February of 2025 . President 13:44.080 --> 13:47.159 Trump has always done the same . Our 13:47.159 --> 13:50.059 direction of travel is and has been 13:50.440 --> 13:53.080 clear . This is the right thing to do 13:53.080 --> 13:55.302 by the American people . It's the right 13:55.302 --> 13:58.659 thing to do by this alliance . Europe 13:58.659 --> 14:00.809 can and must take primary 14:00.809 --> 14:02.809 responsibility for its conventional 14:02.809 --> 14:05.239 defense as it pledged at the Hague 14:05.239 --> 14:07.570 summit . And in the process , 14:08.229 --> 14:11.630 safeguarding Europe's defense for 14:11.630 --> 14:14.659 generations to come . We know our 14:14.659 --> 14:17.080 allies can do it . And it's time . 14:17.669 --> 14:18.150 Thank you .