Hegseth Heads to NATO Meeting as US Recalibrates European Defense Responsibilities

The Trump administration has sought to reduce the U.S. troop presence in Europe and hand more defense responsibilities to allies on the continent.

U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to the press at the NATO headquarters prior to a NATO Ministers of Defence Summit in Brussels on Oct. 15, 2025. Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md.—U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth departed the U.S. capital region shortly after 5 a.m. on June 17 for a gathering of NATO defense ministers in Belgium.

The gathering in Brussels comes at a moment when U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration continue to recalibrate the U.S. role in the transatlantic defense pact and press the United States’ allies to shoulder more of the responsibility for the defense of Europe.