Pentagon officials order Europe to take over NATO within two years: report

The U.S. threatened to withdraw from some NATO defense coordination mechanisms if Europe doesn't take over the body by 2027, Reuters reported, citing "five sources familiar with the discussion" including one U.S. official, who said the message had alarmed some on Capitol Hill.

The message was "conveyed at a meeting in Washington this week of Pentagon staff overseeing NATO policy and several European delegations," with Pentagon officials saying they weren't "satisfied with the strides Europe has made to boost its defense capabilities since Russia's expanded invasion of Ukraine in 2022," Reuters said.

It's not clear if the message represents the Trump administration as a whole or just some Pentagon officials, but if Washington is serious, however it defines leading NATO, Europe cannot meet a 2027 deadline because it "needs more than money and political will to replace certain U.S. capabilities in the short term," Reuters paraphrased several unnamed European officials.

A NATO official didn't comment on the reported 2027 deadline but simply said European allies "have recognized the need to invest more in defense and shift the burden on conventional defense" from the U.S. to Europe. 

The Pentagon and the White House didn't answer requests for comment immediately, according to Reuters, which published the story around 2 a.m. Eastern.