Pentagon Policy Chief Tells Europe to Lead Its Own Defence as US Signals NATO Drawdown

The Pentagon's top policy official told European defence ministers on Thursday that the United States intends to reduce its conventional military presence on the continent, delivering the clearest signal yet that Washington expects its allies to shoulder primary responsibility for deterring Russian aggression.

Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defence for policy, addressed all 31 other NATO members at the start of a defence ministers meeting in Brussels, laying out a vision he called "NATO 3.0" — an alliance built on "partnerships not dependencies" in which Europe fields "the preponderance of the forces required to deter and, if necessary, defeat conventional aggression" on its own soil US urges Europe to take the lead on defence in NATOaljazeera.com·SecondaryPentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has called for NATO “partnerships not dependencies”, saying Europe must take primary responsibility for its defence. The US official was in Brussels to meet with NATO’s defence ministers on Thursday, where he delivered remarks calling for “clear-eyed realism and fundamental adaptation by all”. Noting that the current approach of the military alliance was “no longer fit for purpose”, he said a new “NATO 3..

The speech, delivered behind closed doors but released by the Pentagon shortly afterward, marks a pivotal moment in transatlantic relations. Colby attended in place of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, a decision European diplomats interpreted as a deliberate downgrade of NATO's importance in Washington's hierarchy of interests US urges Europe to take the lead on defence in NATOaljazeera.com·SecondaryPentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has called for NATO “partnerships not dependencies”, saying Europe must take primary responsibility for its defence. The US official was in Brussels to meet with NATO’s defence ministers on Thursday, where he delivered remarks calling for “clear-eyed realism and fundamental adaptation by all”. Noting that the current approach of the military alliance was “no longer fit for purpose”, he said a new “NATO 3..

A Shift From Inputs to Outputs

Colby pressed allies to move "beyond inputs and intentions toward outputs and capabilities," calling the current alliance framework "no longer fit for purpose." He demanded "hard choices about force structure, readiness, stockpiles and industrial capacity that reflect the realities of modern conflict rather than peacetime politics" US urges Europe to take the lead on defence in NATOaljazeera.com·SecondaryPentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has called for NATO “partnerships not dependencies”, saying Europe must take primary responsibility for its defence. The US official was in Brussels to meet with NATO’s defence ministers on Thursday, where he delivered remarks calling for “clear-eyed realism and fundamental adaptation by all”. Noting that the current approach of the military alliance was “no longer fit for purpose”, he said a new “NATO 3..

The undersecretary said the "most consequential" American interests lay in deterring China and in the Western Hemisphere, while Europe would have to take "the lead for its conventional defence." The roughly 85,000 US troops currently stationed in Europe would be deployed "in a more limited and focused fashion," though Washington would continue to provide an "extended nuclear deterrent" and maintain its commitment to NATO's Article 5 mutual defence clause US urges Europe to take the lead on defence in NATOaljazeera.com·SecondaryPentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has called for NATO “partnerships not dependencies”, saying Europe must take primary responsibility for its defence. The US official was in Brussels to meet with NATO’s defence ministers on Thursday, where he delivered remarks calling for “clear-eyed realism and fundamental adaptation by all”. Noting that the current approach of the military alliance was “no longer fit for purpose”, he said a new “NATO 3..

The US has already begun to act on this. Late last year Washington announced it would not replace an infantry brigade stationed in Romania after its rotation ends, the first concrete step in what Colby described as a strategic rebalancing Pentagon policy chief tells European Nato members to step up combat capabilitiestheguardian.com·SecondaryElbridge Colby tells meeting in Brussels that US plans to reduce conventional forces in Europe but remains committed to Nato alliance The Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, has told European Nato defence ministers in Brussels that they need to step up their combat capabilities and take the lead in protecting their continent from the Russian threat..

European Reaction: Acceptance With Caveats

The response from European capitals was notably more accepting than in previous years. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius acknowledged that "the US took the lion's share of what has to be done for European conventional deterrence and defence" and said the time had come for Europeans "to take over more and more, step by step." France's Catherine Vautrin said Europeans "have already begun" to strengthen the alliance's "European pillar" Pentagon policy chief tells European Nato members to step up combat capabilitiestheguardian.com·SecondaryElbridge Colby tells meeting in Brussels that US plans to reduce conventional forces in Europe but remains committed to Nato alliance The Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, has told European Nato defence ministers in Brussels that they need to step up their combat capabilities and take the lead in protecting their continent from the Russian threat..

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte sought to frame the meeting in positive terms, calling it "one of the most pivotal" he had been part of. He praised a "major shift and uplift" in defence spending, singling out Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland for already exceeding the alliance's newly agreed target of 3.5 percent of GDP on defence by 2035 — a decade ahead of schedule Pentagon policy chief tells European Nato members to step up combat capabilitiestheguardian.com·SecondaryElbridge Colby tells meeting in Brussels that US plans to reduce conventional forces in Europe but remains committed to Nato alliance The Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, has told European Nato defence ministers in Brussels that they need to step up their combat capabilities and take the lead in protecting their continent from the Russian threat..

Rutte insisted the US remained "anchored in NATO" and that Article 5 was intact, characterising Colby's remarks as evidence of constructive engagement rather than withdrawal. He noted that Colby stayed for the entire three-hour session, listening to all 31 defence ministers — a gesture taken as a sign of respect by European diplomats US urges Europe to take the lead on defence in NATOaljazeera.com·SecondaryPentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has called for NATO “partnerships not dependencies”, saying Europe must take primary responsibility for its defence. The US official was in Brussels to meet with NATO’s defence ministers on Thursday, where he delivered remarks calling for “clear-eyed realism and fundamental adaptation by all”. Noting that the current approach of the military alliance was “no longer fit for purpose”, he said a new “NATO 3..

The Greenland Shadow

The meeting took place against the backdrop of Donald Trump's repeated demands that Denmark hand over Greenland, with the White House at times declining to rule out military force against a NATO ally. NATO has since launched an enhanced vigilance activity in the Arctic, partly to address Danish concerns, while trilateral talks between Denmark, Greenland, and the US continue US urges Europe to take the lead on defence in NATOaljazeera.com·SecondaryPentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has called for NATO “partnerships not dependencies”, saying Europe must take primary responsibility for its defence. The US official was in Brussels to meet with NATO’s defence ministers on Thursday, where he delivered remarks calling for “clear-eyed realism and fundamental adaptation by all”. Noting that the current approach of the military alliance was “no longer fit for purpose”, he said a new “NATO 3..

The Netherlands' Ruben Brekelmans called for a "no-surprise policy" between the two sides of the Atlantic to ensure any American pullback is matched by a European ramp-up. "As long as we do this through an open dialogue, and we know what we can expect from each other, I think we can handle it very well," he said Pentagon policy chief tells European Nato members to step up combat capabilitiestheguardian.com·SecondaryElbridge Colby tells meeting in Brussels that US plans to reduce conventional forces in Europe but remains committed to Nato alliance The Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, has told European Nato defence ministers in Brussels that they need to step up their combat capabilities and take the lead in protecting their continent from the Russian threat..

Ukraine Aid and the Larger Stakes

The defence ministers meeting also produced concrete pledges for Ukraine. UK Defence Secretary John Healey announced that allies had committed $35 billion in military aid for 2026, following a session of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group — a coalition of 50 countries US urges Europe to take the lead on defence in NATOaljazeera.com·SecondaryPentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has called for NATO “partnerships not dependencies”, saying Europe must take primary responsibility for its defence. The US official was in Brussels to meet with NATO’s defence ministers on Thursday, where he delivered remarks calling for “clear-eyed realism and fundamental adaptation by all”. Noting that the current approach of the military alliance was “no longer fit for purpose”, he said a new “NATO 3.. Rutte said NATO states had announced hundreds of millions of dollars in support for the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, which supplies US-made equipment and munitions, thanking the UK, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Lithuania for their contributions Pentagon policy chief tells European Nato members to step up combat capabilitiestheguardian.com·SecondaryElbridge Colby tells meeting in Brussels that US plans to reduce conventional forces in Europe but remains committed to Nato alliance The Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, has told European Nato defence ministers in Brussels that they need to step up their combat capabilities and take the lead in protecting their continent from the Russian threat..

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking on Wednesday, had called for more Patriot air defence systems. "It is the Patriots that work most effectively against Russian ballistics, and the supply of missiles to these systems is needed every day," he said Pentagon policy chief tells European Nato members to step up combat capabilitiestheguardian.com·SecondaryElbridge Colby tells meeting in Brussels that US plans to reduce conventional forces in Europe but remains committed to Nato alliance The Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, has told European Nato defence ministers in Brussels that they need to step up their combat capabilities and take the lead in protecting their continent from the Russian threat..

What NATO 3.0 Actually Means

For all the diplomatic warmth, the fundamental question remains whether European defence industries can scale fast enough to fill the gap left by an American drawdown. Europe's combined military spending has risen sharply since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but decades of underinvestment have left critical shortfalls in ammunition stocks, air defence systems, and deployable combat formations.

The 3.5 percent GDP target, if met by all allies by 2035, would represent a transformation in European military capacity. But converting budget commitments into operational capability — the "outputs" Colby demanded — requires years of procurement, training, and industrial expansion. Romania's Radu-Dinel Miruta urged Europeans to scale up defence production in collaboration with NATO and the US, "but having in mind one very clear aspect: Europe should be able to protect Europe" Pentagon policy chief tells European Nato members to step up combat capabilitiestheguardian.com·SecondaryElbridge Colby tells meeting in Brussels that US plans to reduce conventional forces in Europe but remains committed to Nato alliance The Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, has told European Nato defence ministers in Brussels that they need to step up their combat capabilities and take the lead in protecting their continent from the Russian threat..

Colby's visit may have been a deliberate demotion in protocol, but it was also, by his own framing, an offer: Washington will keep its nuclear umbrella over Europe, continue to train and exercise alongside allies, and honour Article 5. The price is that Europe must stop treating American conventional forces as its first line of defence. Whether the continent can meet that demand before the strategic window closes is the defining question of the alliance's next decade.