Pete Hegseth says European allies must do more to 'make NATO great again'

In a press conference after meeting with NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that European allies must do more to make NATO "great again" and help the transatlantic alliance "endure for the future."

Hegseth said that Trump has given him a "clear mission: achieve peace through strength, as well as put America first, our people, our taxpayers, our borders, and our security. We are doing this by reviving the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence."

"NATO should pursue these goals as well. NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defense alliance in history, but to endure for the future, our partners must do far more for Europe’s defense," Hegseth said. "We must make NATO great again."

"It begins with defense spending, but must also include reviving the transatlantic defense industrial base, rapidly fielding emerging technologies, prioritizing readiness and lethality and establishing real deterrence."

He noted that President Dwight D Eisenhower was "one of NATO’s strongest supporters" and believed in a "strong relationship with Europe," but was concerned by the end of his presidency that "Europe was not shouldering enough of its own defense. Nearly making, in Eisenhower’s words, 'a sucker out of Uncle Sam."

"Well, like President Eisenhower, this administration believes in alliances, deeply believes in alliances. But make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker."