Urging Europeans to give more to defense, new US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today called: "Let's make NATO great again," paraphrasing President Donald Trump's main campaign slogan about the US (Make America Great Again - MAGA).
Hegseth said on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels that Trump would not allow anyone to "make a fool of Uncle Sam."
Hegseth, a former Fox News journalist, also tried to reassure allies of the US commitment to Europe.
"We are committed to the Alliance. We understand the importance of this partnership, but the status quo cannot continue," he told reporters, calling on European allies and Canada to spend more on their defense.
"Europe has to spend more. NATO has to spend more," Hegseth added.
Trump has called on European NATO countries to at least double their military spending to around five percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) for weapons purchases.
Only 23 of 32 NATO countries reached the two percent level, which was supposed to be the minimum investment in defense last year.
"Two percent is a start, as President Trump said, but it's not enough. And three percent is not enough, and four percent is not enough. We need to move towards five percent," Hegseth said.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called on allies to spend "significantly" more than two percent on defense, but did not set a threshold. That percentage could be decided at the next NATO summit in June in The Hague.
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