Pete Hegseth: Britain put American lives at risk

In the United States on 18 June 2026, Pete Hegseth told NATO that Europe must take the lead on building what he called “NATO 3.0”. He announced that the US will review its military presence in Europe, and he spoke about global force posture after the G7 summit. Hegseth hailed defence progress by NATO allies but said some must “do more”. He also said Britain put American lives at risk. Rutte tried to downplay Hegseth's criticism of NATO members, and Europe was urged to “keep a cool head” as the US reassesses its presence.