Latest news with #Pete Hegseth
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
US to Discuss Any Troop Withdrawal With NATO, Estonia Chief Says
Estonia's defense chief said any decision to withdraw US troops from Europe would be discussed with NATO as leaders in the region brace for potential unilateral action later this year. Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, who joined his Baltic counterparts on a visit to Washington last week, said he received no guarantees from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on maintaining troop levels on NATO's eastern flank.
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
US could slash troop presence in Europe
The US could cut its troop presence in Europe by up to 30%, Politico reported on Monday, citing sources. The reduction could be announced as early as September as part of a Pentagon-led reassessment of military deployments called the Global Force Posture Review. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has accused European NATO members of not paying their fair share of defense costs, while his administration has hinted that the US may reduce its military footprint on the continent. In February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged allies to boost defense spending, warning they cannot assume 'America's presence' in Europe 'will last forever.' Reports indicate European leaders have been unsettled by potential drawdown plans, though neither their scope nor timeline has been defined. Aylin Matle of the German Council on Foreign Relations has predicted a roughly 20% troop reduction possibly this fall, most likely involving the removal of about 20,000 troops deployed under Joe Biden in 2022 after the Ukraine conflict escalated. She said even such a cut 'would still leave a substantial American footprint,' noting current US troop levels fluctuate between 90,000 and 100,000. Matle further suggested that the cuts could be lower, as US forces in Europe are used for regional defense and 'projecting power into the Middle East and, to some extent, Africa.' The report notes that Germany, which hosts the largest US contingent in Europe of around 35,000 troops at 35 sites, is particularly alarmed by the potential cuts. Berlin's concerns come amid the EU's broader militarization drive, including the €800 billion ($930 billion) ReArm Europe initiative and a recent NATO pledge to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, both citing Russia as a threat. After meeting Hegseth earlier this month, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he pressed Washington for a roadmap, warning of 'dangerous capability gaps' if US forces withdraw faster than Europe can replace them. Moscow has rejected claims it poses a threat, calling them 'nonsense' and accusing the West of using such rhetoric to justify expanding military budgets.
Arab News
24-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
State Department approves $322 million in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine
The State Department said Wednesday that it has approved $322 million in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine to enhance its air defense capabilities and provide armored combat vehicles, coming as the country works to fend off escalating Russian attacks. The potential sales, which the department said were notified to Congress, include $150 million for the supply, maintenance, repair and overhaul of US armored vehicles, and $172 million for surface-to-air missile systems. The approvals come weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed a pause on other weapons shipments to Ukraine to allow the Pentagon to assess its weapons stockpiles, in a move that caught the White House by surprise. President Donald Trump then made an abrupt change in posture, pledging publicly earlier this month to continue to send weapons to Ukraine. 'We have to,' Trump said. 'They have to be able to defend themselves. They're getting hit very hard now. We're going to send some more weapons — defensive weapons primarily.' Trump recently endorsed a plan to have European allies buy US military equipment that can then be transferred to Ukraine. It was not immediately clear how the latest proposed sales related to that arrangement. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US has provided more than $67 billion in weapons and security assistance to Kyiv. Since Trump came back into office, his administration has gone back and forth about providing more military aid to Ukraine, with political pressure to stop US funding of foreign wars coming from the isolationists inside the Trump administration and on Capitol Hill. Over the course of the war, the US has routinely pressed for allies to provide air defense systems to Ukraine. But many are reluctant to give up the high-tech systems, particularly countries in Eastern Europe that also feel threatened by Russia.
The Independent
24-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
State Department approves $322 million in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine
The State Department said Wednesday that it has approved $322 million in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine to enhance its air defense capabilities and provide armored combat vehicles, coming as the country works to fend off escalating Russian attacks. The potential sales, which the department said were notified to Congress, include $150 million for the supply, maintenance, repair and overhaul of U.S. armored vehicles, and $172 million for surface-to-air missile systems. The approvals come weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed a pause on other weapons shipments to Ukraine to allow the Pentagon to assess its weapons stockpiles, in a move that caught the White House by surprise. President Donald Trump then made an abrupt change in posture, pledging publicly earlier this month to continue to send weapons to Ukraine. 'We have to,' Trump said. 'They have to be able to defend themselves. They're getting hit very hard now. We're going to send some more weapons — defensive weapons primarily.' Trump recently endorsed a plan to have European allies buy U.S. military equipment that can then be transferred to Ukraine. It was not immediately clear how the latest proposed sales related to that arrangement. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. has provided more than $67 billion in weapons and security assistance to Kyiv. Since Trump came back into office, his administration has gone back and forth about providing more military aid to Ukraine, with political pressure to stop U.S. funding of foreign wars coming from the isolationists inside the Trump administration and on Capitol Hill. Over the course of the war, the U.S. has routinely pressed for allies to provide air defense systems to Ukraine. But many are reluctant to give up the high-tech systems, particularly countries in Eastern Europe that also feel threatened by Russia. ___
ABC News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Scott Morrison to argue case for AUKUS before US Congress committee on China threats
Former prime minister Scott Morrison is set to appear before a committee of the US Congress as its leaders lobby the White House to support the under-review AUKUS pact. The select committee, which is examining threats posed by China, has written to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to push him to back the trilateral pact as the Pentagon considers its future. The pact with the US and the UK, under which Australia would procure nuclear-powered submarines, is being reviewed to ensure it meets "common sense, America First criteria", according to the White House. The Pentagon official leading the review, Elbridge Colby, has in the past expressed scepticism about AUKUS amid concerns about America's consistent failures to meet its own shipbuilding targets. In their letter, the select committee's Republican chairman, John Moolenaar, and its most senior Democrat, Raja Krishnamoorthi, wrote that China's "rapid expansion of its nuclear, conventional, cyber, and space capabilities pose a grave concern for the United States and our like-minded allies and partners". "AUKUS has received strong bipartisan support from Congress for a reason," they wrote. "We are stronger together under the AUKUS framework." They pointed to the Chinese navy's deployment of aircraft carriers into the western Pacific in June, and its live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea in February as troubling examples of Beijing "project[ing] blue-water capabilities at increasing distances from its shores". "This attempt to project power as far south as New Zealand's front door highlights the importance of AUKUS in cementing ties to longstanding allies like Australia, as well as advancing vital undersea capabilities that will be central to deterrence," they wrote. Mr Morrison, who announced the AUKUS pact with then-leaders Joe Biden and Boris Johnson in 2021, has previously spoken directly to Donald Trump about AUKUS. In June, he told the ABC he had "never had concerns" about the US president's commitment to the pact. "I mean, there's a review underway, and I think he'll take notice of what Bridge Colby says, and I think we need to engage with that and make the case again," he told the ABC last month. The Australian government has also expressed confidence in the pact's future, framing the review as a standard process for an incoming government and rejecting suggestions a "plan B" is needed. But American concerns about Australia's defence budget remain a possible sticking point. Mr Hegseth has urged Australia to lift defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, from its current level of about 2 per cent. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pushed back, saying Australia will determine its own defence priorities. The opposition has been pressuring Mr Albanese to prioritise a meeting with Mr Trump to press the case for AUKUS. Plans for a meeting in May fell through. Multiple congressional committee chairs have also recently written to Mr Hegseth in support of AUKUS, pointing to its benefits for the US, including a $4.5 billion Australian investment in America's submarine-building capabilities. The Australian government made an initial payment of almost $800 million earlier this year. In total, the submarine deal is expected to cost Australia up to $368 billion over several decades. Mr Morrison is one of two witnesses set to appear at Wednesday's committee hearing, which is focused on strategies to counter China's "economic coercion against democracies". The other is former US ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel.
