JOINT 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.
Hegseth has used other recent interactions with NATO counterparts to reinforce Trump’s messaging around burden-sharing across the alliance. He may do so again during this meeting, which begins in full on June 18….