Pentagon political director Elbridge Colby on Thursday called for NATO to be based on "partnership, not dependence" as he arrived in Brussels for talks with defense ministers of the military alliance, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
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US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset is not attending the meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, and Colby, who holds the third highest position in the Pentagon, is representing the US.
Hegset's absence marks the second consecutive time a high-ranking Trump administration official has missed a NATO meeting, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio missed the alliance's foreign ministers' meeting in December.
This absence and repeated tensions between US President Donald Trump and European countries – most recently over Greenland – have raised new questions among European officials and commentators about Washington's commitment to NATO, which for decades has been the cornerstone of the continent's defense.
Trump has repeatedly called on European countries to increase their military spending and take more responsibility for their own security, reducing their dependence on the US. NATO leaders responded last year by agreeing to spend 5% of their GDP on defense and security investments.
NATO to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP - Rutte11.02.26, 16:45 • [views_4052]
Colby reassured European allies, stating that "we have a really strong foundation for working together," as European countries agreed to lead the conventional defense of the continent.
"Now is the time to move forward together, to be pragmatic," Colby told reporters, calling for an alliance "based on partnership, not dependence, and a real return to what NATO was originally intended for."
In a sign of the shifting balance within the alliance, NATO announced this week that the US would hand over two of its main command centers – in Naples and Norfolk – to European officers.
US to hand over two NATO command centers to Europeans - Reuters10.02.26, 08:51 • [views_4351]
At the start of Thursday's meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said allies were stepping up to take on more responsibility.
"We are already seeing a significant increase in allied defense spending," he said. "Investments have increased by tens of billions."