The review process is also raising fears that allies will compete for a U.S. presence on their territory.
During the meeting with envoys on Thursday, “allies entered in a ‘beauty contest’,” said one NATO diplomat, “with everyone highlighting his [or] her country’s implementation of NATO 3.0” — a reference to the U.S.-led effort to make Europe take responsibility for its conventional defense.
Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski told POLITICO that Warsaw was “ready to propose” different locations, “financing” and “logistics required” for a proposal to permanently station U.S. troops in the country. However, he insisted, “this review is based not on beauty offers, but on common interests.”
NATO ambassadors didn’t make specific offers to Colby in Thursday’s meeting but highlighted their progress on alliance military capability targets, defense spending and their offers to substitute U.S. forces as part of alliance war plans, the two NATO diplomats said. One described the meeting, overall, as “very constructive.”
U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who commands American troops in Europe, is set to present Colby with military recommendations for the review next month, said the person familiar with the matter, ahead of a more formal decision on the review’s outcome by Hegseth in November.