World

Hegseth blasts NATO members, announces review of US forces in Europe

By Reuters Reuters

Updated June 18, 2026 5:48 AM

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte talk to the media on the day of a meeting of NATO defence ministers at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte talk to the media on the day of a meeting of NATO defence ministers at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov Stoyan Nenov Reuters

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BRUSSELS - U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday harshly criticised some NATO members over defence spending and their stances on the Iran war as he announced a review of U.S. military forces in Europe.

"It's a review that some countries will fail, and others will pass with flying colors," Hegseth told NATO defence ministers gathered for a meeting at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart, Sabine Siebold and Lili Bayer; Editing by Andrw Gray)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 5:08 AM.