US launches a strategic review of American presence in Europe

United States authorities are continuing the announced process of shaping the North Atlantic Alliance according to the NATO 3.0 concept, which entails increasing the commitment to collective security on the part of European countries. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has just announced a review of the progress in implementing this plan.

Six-month review of presence

“For the NATO 3.0 project to succeed, I am announcing today a six-month review by the Department of War. (…) This review will be conducted with input from the United States Armed Forces, including European Command. It will include consultations with the US Congress and our allies,” the American politician said during Thursday’s meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.

As Hegseth emphasised, the goal of the review and the implementation of the NATO 3.0 concept itself is to ensure that the North Atlantic Alliance “is moving rapidly and irreversibly toward European leadership.” According to Hegseth, European countries are to take over “primary responsibility for the defence of their own continent.”

This is about Europe “taking decisive action to ensure that our (American – ed.) access, force posture, and overflight rights are clearly defined and secured,” he concluded.

NATO's return to a "hard alliance"

Shortly before, during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Hegseth stated that “NATO must return to a true, hard military alliance with real deterrence capabilities.” As the American noted, “Europe’s task here is to take responsibility for the defence of the Old Continent.”