No 10 welcomes review of US forces in Europe, as Nato defence chiefs gather

Sophie Wingate and David Lynch, Press Association Political Staff

Downing Street welcomed US defence secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement at a Nato summit of a review of American military forces in Europe.

No 10 also insisted the UK “consistently delivers on our commitments” to the alliance and rejected suggestions it was embarrassing for new Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis to attend the gathering in Brussels without the UK defence investment plan (Dip) being published.

At the start of the Nato defence ministers’ meeting, Mr Hegseth lashed out at members who “have yet to show a credible path” towards investing 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in defence by 2035.

He told his counterparts “some of Nato’s largest economies” still seem “to think the era of free-riding is here”, as he warned future American financial contributions would depend on allies meeting their defence spending commitments.

The US defence secretary announced a six-month review of America’s military footprint in Europe, which “will be designed to ensure that Nato is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading” on the continent’s security.

A No 10 spokeswoman told reporters the US plan “enables Nato allies to plan and sequence the shift as part of greater European burden-sharing”.

She added: “And, as you know, the Prime Minister has been clear that Europe needs to play a bigger role in Nato.”

The Dip has been delayed amid a row over its funding, which led Mr Jarvis’s predecessor John Healey to quit last week.

Mr Healey said the plan was only due to provide £13.5 billion extra investment in defence, far short of the £28 billion over four years which defence officials said was necessary to transform the UK’s armed forces and keep Britain safe.

Asked whether the Government was embarrassed that Mr Jarvis headed to the Nato meeting empty-handed, the No 10 spokeswoman said: “He is attending the Nato defence ministers’ meeting as the Secretary of State for one of the best militaries in the world, and as a representative of a Nato member that consistently delivers on our commitments.

“So I don’t accept the premise of your question.”

The Dip is being finalised with the Defence Secretary and “will be published in due course”, she said, with expectations it will be released before the Nato leaders’ summit in Ankara, Turkey, starting on July 7.

Any changes to the plan are likely to be to the mix of measures rather than to the overall sum of money, it is understood.

Nato chief Mark Rutte said ahead of the gathering that he expected all member states to soon present “clear, concrete and credible plans” towards investing 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in defence by 2035.

The commitment is split into a 3.5% GDP core defence spending commitment, and a 1.5% GDP commitment to wider resilience spending.

Mr Healey’s resignation letter suggested the UK was only on course to spend 2.68% of GDP on core defence by 2030 as a result of commitments in the Dip.

In brief remarks to the press upon his arrival at the Nato headquarters, Mr Jarvis said: “It’s very clear to me, as the new Defence Secretary for the United Kingdom, that this is a moment of challenge.

“The international security is incredibly challenging, and that’s why this gathering here today is so particularly important.”

He said Nato allies must continue to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and bolster the alliance’s collective deterrence capabilities.

“Of course we want to work very closely with our European allies in terms of our own collective security, both for Europe and for the United Kingdom,” Mr Jarvis added.

But Mr Hegseth went on to rebuke “too many allies” he said still do not recognise the need for Nato to “reforge a relevant, powerful military alliance”.

At the opening of the summit, he criticised countries for their lack of support in the Iran war, saying: “There’s no excuse for that, and that’s not to mention the fact that some countries have yet to show a credible path to meeting their Hague commitments.

“Some of Nato’s largest economies, some of our richest countries, allies that are happiest to go on about the rules-based international order and middle powers banding together, still seem to think the era of free-riding is here.”

Speaking later at a news conference, Mr Rutte said the US defence secretary was trying “to keep the pressure on”.

The Nato chief added: “That’s good, that’s his role.”

Mr Rutte went on: “I think it is important that this ally, which for so many years was spending much more on defence than the Europeans and the Canadians in aggregate, is keeping that pressure on whilst also acknowledging that a lot is happening.

“I’m happy he does this, because we need to speak the truth to each other.

“This alliance is going through a massive transformation, probably the biggest transformation in its history to build this Nato 3.0 and obviously that means also that there are some rough waters. It is a rocky face. You will have these debates, these discussions, and that’s good.”

Mr Rutte also said the alliance was working “very hard” to ensure all members met their spending commitments.

He said: “When you look at the individual countries, there are still some who need to do more, and others who are overachieving, which is great.”

He highlighted Germany, the Baltic countries and Poland as being “really ahead”, and added: “Some others are looking behind a little bit, and we are working hard to make sure they also keep up, so let’s prevent a situation like that.”