[ad_1]
Europe must take the lead in defending itself as the world becomes more militarised, but the US is not abandoning its NATO allies, a top American official has said.
Elbridge Colby, the US Under Secretary of War, said the alliance must be prepared for potential enemies to strike simultaneously in different parts of the globe.
This was why European members of NATO must take the “primary responsibility” when it comes to defending their homeland – as US forces are focused elsewhere.
Ultimately, he said the alliance needs to become a modern version of its original Cold War status – defined by hard and credible fighting strength.
Mr Colby, who was representing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, made the comments at a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday.
Allies have tried to play down his boss’s absence as not signalling a reduction in US prioritisation of NATO.
“The world that shaped the habits, assumptions, and force posture of NATO during the so-called ‘unipolar moment’ following the Cold War no longer exists,” Mr Colby said, according to a transcript of his remarks that were published by his department.
“Power politics has returned, and military force is again being employed at a large scale,” he added.
This meant that the United States, under Donald Trump, was prioritising the biggest threats to US interests – especially the defence of the US homeland and its interests in the Western Hemisphere.
“At the same time – and critically – the United States and its allies must be prepared for the possibility that potential opponents will act simultaneously across multiple theatres, whether in a coordinated fashion or opportunistically.”
[ad_2]
