Hegseth Slams NATO: US Needs Partners, Not Dependents

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that Washington will no longer ‘subsidise’ the defence of allied nations deemed capable of funding their own military needs. The remarks highlight longstanding disagreements between the US and several NATO members over defence burden-sharing.

Hegseth made the comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an international security forum held in Singapore on Friday.

According to Hegseth, the Trump administration seeks alliances built on shared responsibility rather than dependence on the United States.

‘The era of the US subsidising the defence of wealthy nations has ended. We need partners, not protectorates. We seek alliances built on shared responsibility, not dependence,’ Hegseth said, as reported by Western media outlets.

He linked the push for increased defence budgets among allies to Washington’s strategy to redirect more resources to the Indo-Pacific region to counter China’s growing influence.

The issue of defence burden-sharing has long been a contentious topic within NATO. In 2014, member states agreed to allocate at least 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to defence. However, several European nations have repeatedly failed to meet this target over the years.

NATO data shows all 32 member states have now reached the 2% threshold for the first time in 2025. Nevertheless, the US still contributes around 60-62% of total NATO military expenditure last year.

During a Q&A session following his speech, Hegseth described the 2% contribution as ‘free-riding’ on US military capabilities.

Last year, NATO members agreed on a new target of 5% of GDP for defence and security spending by 2035, including a core defence target of 3.5%. However, this target has faced opposition from several European countries.