Trump’s secret NATO ultimatum sparks panic as US ‘pulls jets, bombers and EVERY submarine from Europe’
Donald Trump is set to slash the arsenal of US fighter jets, warships and submarines reserved for NATO allies should a military crisis erupt in Europe, according to a new report.
A military envoy sent by Pete Hegseth surprised senior NATO officials in a classified briefing in Brussels late last week after revealing US firepower committed to defending Europe would significantly decline, per Der Spiegel and Reuters.
The US fighter jet commitment to NATO is to be slashed by a third, while the Navy will withdraw destroyers from the alliance’s pool.
Washington will also pull its submarines from NATO altogether, envoy Alexander Velez-Green reportedly told officials behind closed doors.
Europe will be responsible for maintaining its own supply of reconnaissance drones, a key weapon on the modern battlefield of Ukraine.
Hegseth’s envoy stressed that the US is prepared to cooperate closely only with NATO partners who act quickly to close the gaps left by Washington’s scaling back of support.
Some officials in the secret meeting interpreted the message as an indirect threat, according to Der Spiegel.
The Daily Mail has contacted the White House and the Pentagon for comment.
Donald Trump is set to slash a huge arsenal of military defense reserved for NATO
Europe will be responsible for maintaining its own supply of reconnaissance drones, a key weapon on the modern battlefield of Ukraine
Hegseth’s envoy stressed that the US is prepared to cooperate closely only with NATO partners who act quickly to close the gaps left by Washington’s scaling back of support
The US fighter jet commitment to NATO is to be slashed by a third, while the Navy will withdraw destroyers from the alliance’s pool
The cuts will gut the so-called ‘NATO Force Model,’ the alliance framework for defending Europe drawn up in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It lays out exactly which troops, jets, ships and weapons each member state must hand over to NATO’s Supreme Commander if war breaks out on the continent.
Trump has long criticized European allies for failing to spend enough on their own militaries and for not pulling their weight in shouldering the cost of the alliance.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced it would drawn down 5,000 troops from Germany over the next six to twelve months.
The move came after Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz slammed Trump’s lack of strategy in the war against Iran.
