Exclusive:
US sets 2027 deadline for Europe-led NATO defense, officials say
By Gram
Slattery and Humeyra Pamuk
December
5, 20255:59 PM GMT+1Updated 12 hours ago
Summary
US could
withdraw from some NATO planning mechanisms if unsatisfied with progress
Unclear
how US would measure progress
Trump
rhetoric towards alliance runs hot and cold
WASHINGTON,
Dec 5 (Reuters) - The United States wants Europe to take over the majority of
NATO's conventional defense capabilities, from intelligence to missiles, by
2027, Pentagon officials told diplomats in Washington this week, a tight
deadline that struck some European officials as unrealistic.
The
message, recounted by five sources familiar with the discussion, including a
U.S. official, was conveyed at a meeting in Washington this week of Pentagon
staff overseeing NATO policy and several European delegations.
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The
shifting of this burden from the U.S. to European members of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization would dramatically change how the United States, a founding
member of the post-war alliance, works with its most important military
partners.
In the
meeting, Pentagon officials indicated that Washington was not yet satisfied
with the strides Europe has made to boost its defense capabilities since
Russia's expanded invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The U.S.
officials told their counterparts that if Europe does not meet the 2027
deadline, the U.S. may stop participating in some NATO defense coordination
mechanisms, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private
conversations.
Some
officials on Capitol Hill are aware of and concerned about the Pentagon's
message to the Europeans, one U.S. official said.
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