Hegseth Heads to NATO Meeting as US Recalibrates European Defense Responsibilities

U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to the press at the NATO headquarters prior to a NATO Ministers of Defence Summit in Brussels on Oct. 15, 2025. Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty ImagesJOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md.—Secretary of War Pete Hegseth departed the U.S. national capital region shortly after 5 a.m. on June 17 for a gathering of NATO defense ministers in Belgium.The gathering in Brussels comes at a moment when President Donald Trump and his administration continue to recalibrate the U.S. role in the transatlantic defense pact, and press its allies to shoulder more of the responsibility for the defense of Europe.