Hegseth announced a review of the deployment of US military bases in Europe

The United States will begin reviewing its military presence in Europe over the next six months. This was announced by Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth on June 18, speaking at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

"Both publicly and behind closed doors, it's great to hear one country after another say that we will achieve the goals set [within NATO]. There are several other countries that are falling out, and we will be clear with them when we conduct this review. This will change the way we look at the continent," he said.

Hegseth added that Washington will continue to seek to increase the contribution of European states to NATO. According to him, the United States initially talked about this openly. He also said that the North Atlantic Alliance would cease to be a "paper tiger" and a "one-way street" as a result of the new policy of the administration of US President Donald Trump.

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Brussels is increasingly talking about reducing dependence on America

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said earlier in the day that the drawdown of U.S. troops in Europe would begin "immediately." He noted that if an armed conflict breaks out and the fifth article is involved, then all NATO countries, including the United States, will do the "maximum" possible. He also noted that the alliance should accept the fact that US participation is declining, but the Europeans are now filling this space.

Bloomberg reported on June 12 that European countries are preparing for a significant reduction in military support from the United States. It was noted that the measures include a 75-100% reduction in reconnaissance and attack drones and about 50% reduction in naval vessels.