Rubio says US is questioning why it's in NATO after allies don't back Iran war – National
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the Trump administration was questioning its participation in NATO after other allies did not provide aid during the war with Iran, and he did not deny reports of US plans to reduce its military contribution to the alliance.
Rubio was addressing a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Sweden when he was asked about a report from Reuters that the US will reduce the number of military capabilities it has to help the European alliance in a major crisis, according to multiple sources.
“I don't think anyone is shocked to know that the United States and the president in particular are very disappointed with NATO right now,” Rubio replied, after such an announcement would be made by US President Donald Trump or the Department of Defense.
While Rubio insisted he has long been a “strong supporter” of NATO and US participation in it, he said the conflict in the Middle East raised the question of why NATO is “good for America.”
“I know why NATO is good for Europe, but why is NATO good for America? Because it gives us bases in the region that allow us to generate power during an emergency in the Middle East or elsewhere,” he said.
“So if that's the main reason why you're in NATO, then you have countries like Spain that deny the use of these bases, then why are you in NATO? That's a very good question.”
Rubio said he will be raising these issues at the NATO meeting in Sweden, which was also attended by Foreign Minister Anita Anand.
Global News has asked Anand's office for comment.
NATO was created after the Second World War to prevent the expansion of the Soviet Union and to ensure the security and democracy of Europe. The US, as the largest military and nuclear power in the world, has long played an important role in the alliance, and leaders from Dwight Eisenhower have emphasized the importance of supporting a “way of life” compatible with the US.
The only time NATO's Article 5 commitment to collective defence, which states that all allies will assist a member under attack, was invoked after the terrorist attacks on the US on September 11, 2001 – further underscoring the importance of the alliance. Thousands of non-US NATO troops, including Canadians, died in the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Trump has spent years questioning that number and threatening to withdraw from the alliance. Those threats and attacks on NATO increased after the Iran war, which was launched without warning or consultation with NATO allies.
The US said earlier this month it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, after Trump lashed out at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, saying the US was being “embarrassed” by Iran's leadership and criticized what he called America's lack of strategy in the war.
The US then canceled the deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland, a move that blindsided NATO and US lawmakers before the Pentagon and Poland later clarified that it would be a temporary delay.
Although Trump indicated that there will be “a lot” of cuts to come, Lieutenant Gen. Alex Grynkewich, NATO's military commander in Europe, told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday that he does not expect American troops to withdraw from the continent.
“There will be 5,000 troops from Europe,” Grynkewich said at NATO headquarters in Brussels. “That's all I expect in the near term.”
However, Reuters reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon has decided to significantly reduce its commitment to the NATO Force Model, a framework in which member states identify the number of available forces that could be used during a conflict or any other major crisis, such as a military attack by a NATO member.
The exact makeup of those forces is a closely guarded secret, Reuters said, adding that the sources would not say how much the US plans to reduce its commitment.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he was not allowed to reveal the upcoming US announcement but that the move “had to be expected” as the alliance wants to “end over-reliance … on one partner” for its defense.
“That's why European and Canadian partners are increasing their capital, increasing their capabilities, investing heavily in the defense industry on both sides of the Atlantic,” he said.
“So, this was expected. I think it's right that it happened … and within the realm of 'surprise' method.”
The Pentagon's chief of policy, Elbridge Colby, has said publicly that the United States will continue to use nuclear weapons to protect NATO members, even as European allies lead conventional forces.
-From files from Reuters and the Associated Press
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