French soldiers take part in the ‘Steadfast Dagger’ exercise at the ‘Centre Air de planification et de conduite des opérations et de défense aérienne’ (CAPCODA) in the LyonMont Verdun Air Base (Base 942), northwest of Lyon, on December 3, 2025. (Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
1:07 PM – Saturday, December 6, 2025

The Pentagon has told the United States’ European NATO allies that they must assume primary responsibility for the alliance’s conventional defense capabilities by 2027.

According to a Friday Reuters report citing five anonymous sources, U.S. officials are not impressed with the progress European allies are making to support their own military capabilities, especially in the wake of Russia’s expansion into Ukraine in previous years. If the allies miss the new 2027 deadline, the U.S. could stop participating in some North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) activities.

It’s unclear what specific activities would be scaled back for the U.S.

This shift of the defensive burden from the U.S. to its European counterparts would significantly alter how the countries work together within the alliance.

According to the report, some U.S. officials in Washington are concerned about the Pentagon’s message to the European countries.

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The U.S., a founding member of NATO after World War II, has long provided weapons for its nuclear mission. It also provides substantial conventional forces such as ground troops, warships, fighter planes and command-and-control systems.

European countries have built up defense spending in Response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 amid concerns of Russian aggression.

“Allies have recognized the need to invest more in defense and shift the burden on conventional defense” from the U.S. to Europe, one official said.

Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson stated, “We’ve been very clear in the need for Europeans to lead in the conventional defense of Europe. We are committed to working through NATO coordination mechanisms to strengthen the alliance and ensure its long-term viability as European allies increasingly take on responsibility for conventional deterrence and defense in Europe.”

Additionally, at a recent meeting of NATO foreign ministers, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said that it was “obvious” European allies should take responsibility for their defense.

“Successive US Administrations have been saying this in one form or another pretty much my whole life…but our Administration means what it says,” Landau wrote on X.

I appreciated the opportunity to represent @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and @SecRubio at the NATO Ministerial Meeting in Brussels. I emphasized what should be obvious: Europe must take primary responsibility for its own security. Successive US Administrations have been saying this in… pic.twitter.com/txy3GuQRnQ

— Christopher Landau (@DeputySecState) December 4, 2025

Security analysts warn, however, that it will take years for allies in Europe to develop capabilities in line with what the U.S. currently provides, and an American military withdrawal by 2027 may leave vulnerabilities.

NATO has 32 member countries. The 12 founding countries were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. Since the late ‘40s, the alliance has expanded to also include Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.

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