Reuters:US wants Europe to take over NATO defence responsibilities by 2027

The United States is calling for Europe to take over most of NATO's routine defence tasks by 2027. US officials conveyed this request to European diplomats during a recent meeting in Washington.

The aim is to shift responsibilities - from intelligence to missile systems - directly into the hands of European allies.

It is not known whether this is an official position

The Pentagon expects Europe to take over the defence burden in the near future at a time when the US is increasingly focused on Asia, according to five sources. But some European diplomats consider 2027 too ambitious and fear the union is not sufficiently prepared for such a move.

Both the date and the proposal itself could spark wide-ranging debates about the future of collective defence within NATO.

It is also unclear whether the 2027 deadline represents the official position of the Trump administration or merely the opinion of some Pentagon officials. Neither the White House nor the Pentagon responded to Reuters' requests for comment.

There are significant disagreements in Washington about what military role the US should play in Europe.

One U.S. official said some congressional leaders are aware of the Pentagon's message to the Europeans and are concerned.

Europe is not meeting the deadline

In October, Brussels unveiled its 2030 defence readiness plan, on which it plans to spend 800 billion euros. This will strengthen Europe's ability to deter attackers and defend itself on land, in the air, at sea, in the cyber domain and in space.

However, the 2030 deadline has also been described by some analysts as too ambitious.

NATO allies face problems with delays in the production of the military equipment they are trying to buy. The U.S. is encouraging Europe to buy more U.S. equipment, but many of the most desirable U.S. weapons and defense systems would take years to deliver if nations ordered them today.

The U.S. also provides capabilities that cannot easily be bought - such as unique intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities that also proved crucial to the war in Ukraine.

At the NATO summit in June this year, most European states agreed to the US plan to raise the defence spending target to five per cent of GDP.

At a meeting of NATO foreign ministers this week, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said it was "obvious" that NATO allies should take responsibility for Europe's defense.

"Successive U.S. administrations have been saying this in some form my entire life... but our administration means it," Landau wrote on Platform X.

(reuters, pir)