[🇺🇸] NATO & The USA

[Saif]

Date of Event: Jan 6, 2026

Source: https://www.newagebd.net/post/North%20America/287257/us-attacking-nato-ally-would-be-end-of-everything-says-danish-pm

US attacking NATO ally would be end of ‘everything’, says Danish PM
Agence France – Presse . Copenhagen, Denmark 05 January, 2026, 22:37

From left, Donald Trump, Mette Frederiksen. | AFP photo

Any US attack on a NATO ally would be the end of ‘everything’, Denmark’s prime minister warned on Monday, after US President Donald Trump repeated his desire to annex Greenland.

‘If the United States decides to militarily attack another NATO country, then everything would stop -- that includes NATO and therefore post-World War II security,’ Mette Frederiksen told Danish television network TV2.

She said her government was doing ‘all that is possible so that is not the case’.​

 

[Sharma Ji]

he'd bomb Ankara etc in a hot second to save his precious Gareekan !

 

[Saif]

Trump calls NATO allies ‘cowards’ over Iran

US allies ‘don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk,’ he posted...

www.newagebd.net

Trump calls NATO allies ‘cowards’ over Iran
Agence France – Presse . Washington, United States 20 March, 2026, 20:09

The US president, Donald Trump, on Friday branded the United States’ NATO allies ‘cowards’ for not heeding his demand for military assistance against Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz shipping route.

‘COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!’ he posted on his Truth Social platform.

US allies ‘don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk,’ he posted.​

 

[Saif]

The Financial Express | First Financial Daily of Bangladesh

Get latest stock share market news, financial news, economy news, politics news, breaking news, Bangladesh economy news at The Financial Express.

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Germany urges stronger European defence after US announces troop drawdown

REUTERS

Published :
May 02, 2026 20:35
Updated :
May 02, 2026 20:35

Soldiers stand next to a razor wire at a media day during the US Army Combined Resolve exercise at the US Army's southern Germany training facilities in Hohenfels, Germany, April 30, 2026. Photo : REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth

A planned drawdown of 5,000 US troops from Germany was expected, but should spur Europeans to strengthen their own defences, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday, after Washington's latest salvo against transatlantic ties.

The Pentagon announced the drawdown from Germany, its largest European base, on Friday, as a rift over the Iran war and tariff tensions place further strain on relations between the U.S. and Europe.

Trump called for a reduced military presence in Germany as far back as his first term and has repeatedly urged Europe to take responsibility for its defence. However, he stepped up the threat earlier this week after sparring with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has questioned Washington's exit strategy in the Middle East.

NATO WORKING WITH WASHINGTON ON DETAILS

Pistorius said the partial withdrawal would affect a current US presence of almost 40,000 soldiers stationed in Germany.

According to the US Defense Manpower Data Center, 36,436 active service members were stationed in Germany as of December last year.

"We Europeans must take on more ⁠responsibility for our own security," Pistorius said, adding, "Germany is on the right track" by expanding its armed forces, speeding up military procurement and building infrastructure.

The Pentagon said the withdrawal was expected to be completed over the next six to 12 months. It did not say which bases would be affected, nor whether the troops would return to the US or be redeployed within Europe or elsewhere.

A NATO spokesperson said the alliance was working with the US to understand the details of the decision.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country is seeking assurances of continued US support on NATO's eastern flank amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, expressed concern about the latest setback to the alliance.

"The greatest threat to the transatlantic community are not its external enemies, but the ongoing disintegration of our alliance. We must all do what it takes to reverse this disastrous trend," Tusk wrote on X on Saturday.

The Pentagon's plans were the latest blow to Germany from Washington this weekend, after Trump said he would ratchet up tariffs on EU auto imports to 25 per cent, accusing the EU of not upholding a ⁠trade deal - in a move that threatens to cost the German economy billions.

A foreign policy official from Chancellor Merz's CDU party said the two announcements should be viewed in light of pressure on Trump both at home and abroad, amid weak opinion polling and pressure over unresolved conflicts in Ukraine, Venezuela and Iran.

"Against this backdrop, both the troop withdrawal and the trade policy seem less like the expression of a coherent strategy and more like a political reflex and a reaction born of frustration," Peter Beyer told Reuters.

LONG-RANGE FIRES BATTALION CANCELLED

NATO members have pledged to take on more responsibility for ⁠their own defence but with tight budgets and vast gaps in military capability it will take years for the region to meet its own security needs.

Germany wants to boost the number of active-duty Bundeswehr soldiers from a current 185,000 to 260,000, though critics of the defence minister have called for more in response to a widely perceived growing threat from Russia.

The US military presence in Germany, which ⁠began as an occupation force after World War Two, peaked during the 1960s when hundreds of thousands of American military personnel were stationed there to counter the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The US presence includes the giant Ramstein airbase and Landstuhl hospital, both of which have been used by the US to support its war in Iran, as well as ⁠previous conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Pentagon decision means one full brigade will leave Germany and a long-range fires battalion that was due to be deployed later this year will be cancelled.

The loss of the long-range fires will be a particular blow to Berlin, as it had been due to form a significant extra element of deterrence against Russia while Europeans developed such long-range missiles themselves.​

 

[Saif]

NATO chief welcomes Trump announcement of troops

In a social media post, the US president said the move was based on his relationship with Poland’s president Karol Nawrocki, a nationalist ally.

en.prothomalo.com

NATO chief welcomes Trump announcement of troops

AFP
Helsingborg, Sweden
Published: 22 May 2026, 13: 57

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte answers journalists' questions as he arrives at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg on May 22, 2026. Foreign ministers of the 32 NATO member states gathered in the Swedish city to finalise preparations for the upcoming Ankara Summit. AFP

NATO chief Mark Rutte Friday welcomed President Donald Trump’s announcement that 5,000 US troops would head to Poland, after an earlier planned deployment was called off amid pressure for Europe to fend for itself.

“Of course, I welcome the announcement,” the secretary general told reporters ahead of a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers in Sweden, adding that NATO “military commanders are working through all the details”.

In a social media post, the US president said the move was based on his relationship with Poland’s president Karol Nawrocki, a nationalist ally.

Trump did not give details but it appeared to reverse a decision to call off sending US 4,000 troops to the country—seen as a signal of his anger over NATO allies’ lack of support in the Iran war.

US Vice President JD Vance had suggested earlier this week that the deployment to Poland was delayed rather than cancelled, while stressing Europe must take on more of the burden for its defence.

Sweden’s foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard conceded that the messaging from Washington was hard for Europeans to follow.

“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” she told reporters in Helsingborg, while insisting that the priority was for Europe to “continue to invest in our own defence and our own capabilities”.

“We need the US to stay involved, but it’s also natural that as we ramp up, they also reduce a little of their presence in Europe.”

Estonia’s top diplomat Margus Tsahkna echoed her message.

“It’s clear that Europe must do more,” he said, while stressing that any US drawdown on the continent must be properly coordinated.

“What we are talking about, NATO deterrence as well, US troops in Europe, it’s a full picture,” he said.

“My message as well to US partners is let’s do it in more coordinated ways. That’s the reason why we are gathering today here as well, to talk face to face.”​

 

[Saif]

Hegseth blasts NATO allies, says US will review forces in Europe

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO Thursday the Pentagon will review its force presence in Europe within six months, as he lashed out at allies over defence spending and their response to the Iran war...

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Hegseth blasts NATO allies, says US will review forces in Europe
Agence France-Presse . Brussels, Belgium 18 June, 2026, 23:48

NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, left, and US defence secretary Pete Hegseth react as they pose with defence ministers during a family photograph on the side-lines of a NATO defence ministers meeting at the NATO headquarters, in Brussels, on Thursday. | AFP photo

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO Thursday the Pentagon will review its force presence in Europe within six months, as he lashed out at allies over defence spending and their response to the Iran war.

‘This will be a real review. It will be designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defence of Europe,’ Hegseth told a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.

‘It’s a review that some countries will fail, and others will pass with flying colours.’

The Pentagon chief said the move was also aimed at ensuring US ‘access, basing and overflight are clearly delineated and assured’ after some European nations imposed restrictions on US forces during the Iran war.

‘It was shameful. These allies, they put America’s sons and daughters, our sons and daughters, at risk,’ he said. ‘There’s no excuse for that.’

The United States is piling on the pressure ahead of a NATO summit next month as it seeks to make sure that allies make good on a pledge made last year to massively ramp up defence spending.

Hegseth said going forward that Washington paying its dues to cover NATO organisational running costs — roughly some $790 million in 2026 — would be ‘contingent’ on allies reaching spending targets.

‘Where other allies do not spend with urgency, our dues contributions will go down,’ he said.

The broadside from the US defence chief — who had initially signalled a conciliatory tone — will send a jolt through NATO allies concerned over US commitment to defending Europe.

President Donald Trump had lashed out against European allies over their response to his war in Iran.

But there was hope the US peace deal with Tehran could help NATO put the bad blood behind it by the time alliance leaders meet in Turkey.

‘Too many allied capitals seem to still miss something in translation,’ Hegseth said.

Trump ‘gave our allies a test to support America when we asked for their help, and too many failed it,’ he added.

Despite the tough language, Hegseth did acknowledge strides by many members of NATO to ramp up their defences and said progress was being made.

‘Some of our allies have gotten the message and stepped up. You know who you are, and we very much appreciate it,’ he said.

NATO chief Mark Rutte brushed off repeated questions over Hegseth’s stinging criticism — and said that launching the review was ‘prudent’.

‘What he tried to do today is to keep the pressure on, and I think that’s good. That’s his role,’ Rutte said.

NATO will look to showcase increased expenditure by Europe to prove to Trump it is progressing on a pledge last year to reach five per cent of GDP on defence-related spending.

Rutte said Europe and Canada had spent $90 billion extra compared to 2024.

Washington has been clear with Europe that it wants NATO allies on the continent to take over primary responsibility for their own conventional defence as US focus shifts towards China.

As part of that process the Pentagon has already told allies it is reducing the number of assets worldwide that it makes available for NATO operations.

The US move has sparked fear it could leave Europe vulnerable in the face of an aggressive Russia as allies still rely on Washington for some key weaponry.

Rutte said that while the US reductions were ‘immediate’, it didn’t mean that Washington wouldn’t be there if NATO faced an attack.

‘Then all allies, including the US, will max out what they can do to make sure we can fight the war,’ he said.

US and German media reported that the cuts include a third of the 150 US F-16 and F-15 jets designated for NATO, plus refuelling and reconnaissance aircraft, bombers and drones.

The reports said a submarine that can launch cruise missiles is also being taken out, along with one of two aircraft carrier groups.

‘By and large, we’ll be able to compensate for many things. But we need a bit more time, and that is the clear message,’ German defence minister Boris Pistorius said.

‘It is difficult and dangerous for the security of NATO territory in Europe if capabilities are withdrawn very quickly without it being clear when they can be offset.’​