NATO Chief to New US Defense Secretary: "You Can Trust Allies to Increase Defense Spending"

Hegseth to Make His Debut at Next Month's NATO Defense Ministers Meeting
Likely to Publicly Pressure European Member States

Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), emphasized on the 25th (local time) to Pete Hegseth, the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense, that "allies can be trusted to increase defense spending." Photo by Mark Rutte, Secretary General, captured from X account

Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), emphasized on the 25th (local time) that "allies can be trusted to increase defense spending" in remarks directed at Pete Hegseth, the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Secretary General Rutte congratulated Secretary Hegseth on his appointment through X (formerly Twitter), stating, "We are facing more and more global challenges, but through NATO, we are strong."

He added, "We are strong, capable, united, and ready."

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, faced potential dismissal amid allegations of sexual misconduct, alcohol issues, and financial management problems related to veterans affairs, but he dramatically passed the federal Senate confirmation process the day before and officially took office.

Unless there are unexpected developments, Secretary Hegseth is expected to attend the NATO Defense Ministers Meeting scheduled for next month on the 13th in Brussels, Belgium.

Following the policy stance of U.S. President Donald Trump, who advocated raising NATO member countries' defense spending targets from the current 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 5%, Hegseth is expected to pressure European member states to increase their expenditures on the NATO stage.