NATO allies to get ‘report cards’ as Trump presses for more defense spending

NATO’s summit this week will serve as a double test for allies, with Washington pressing members to boost defense spending while seeking fewer restrictions on how U.S. forces operate from their territory.

President Donald Trump will arrive at the NATO gathering in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday with many allies on edge after ramping up his criticism of the alliance in recent weeks.

Last month, the Pentagon launched a review of the U.S. military’s mission in Europe that could overhaul where American troops are based. U.S. officials have warned of consequences for NATO members who have not made enough progress on meeting a new allied benchmark calling for spending 5% of gross domestic product on defense.

Speaking ahead of the two-day summit that begins Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said report cards will be handed out during the event. When asked during a call with reporters if the U.S. was preparing measures to punish those who fall short, Whitaker answered: “Yes, but nothing I’m going to talk about on this call.”

Annual meetings of NATO leaders have traditionally been mundane, with communiques worked out well in advance that highlight unity among the bloc’s members. Trump, however, has brought unpredictability to past meetings, demonstrating a willingness to call out allies and at times even question whether the alliance advances American interests.

In 2017, Trump publicly dressed down NATO’s then leader Jens Stoltenberg and warned members he was prepared to pull the United States out of the pact over disagreements on defense spending.

Many members have since come around to Trump’s demands. At last year’s summit in The Hague, NATO nations agreed to dedicate 5% of GDP to defense. Many allies are on path to reach that target. That includes the Baltic states, Poland and Germany — countries Whitaker praised as leading the way on military expenditures.

Spending likely won’t be the only criteria Trump uses to judge the alliance’s 32 members during the Ankara summit.

Trump arrives in Turkey still fuming at various NATO countries’ response to the war in Iran. Spain, home to a major U.S. Navy base, refused to allow military bases and airspace in the country to be used for missions related to the conflict. Italy also enforced some restrictions on U.S. war-related operations, a situation that sparked a war of words between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Whitaker indicated that the U.S. ability to use bases in future contingencies would factor into the force posture review.

“We will also have conversations with our allies about access, basing, overflight and make sure that we are in agreement as to how bases can be used,” he said, adding that the issue needs “to be hammered out with those allies.”

Beyond basing issues, Trump also has taken issue with statements by leaders, such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who were critical of the U.S.-led bombing campaign in Iran. At one point during the conflict, Merz said the United States was being humiliated by Iran.

“The President has expressed disappointment in a couple of our allies’ unwillingness to support us using our bases in their countries, and as importantly, he’s also incredibly disappointed in the political statements that came out around the time of the launch of Epic Fury,” Whitaker said.

The task of making sure tensions don’t overshadow events in Turkey will fall to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who is seen as having a good relationship with Trump dating back to the president’s first term.

“Any secretary general, whoever it is, has one job, and that is to keep the transatlantic family together with the United States, the United States engaged in it,” said Oana Lungescu, a fellow with the Royal United Services Institute in London and a former chief NATO spokeswoman.

During a forum previewing the summit, Lungescu said she expects Rutte to give credit to Trump and his ability to nudge allies on defense spending.

During a visit last month to the White House, Rutte presented charts touting the “Trump trillion,” highlighting an additional $1.2 trillion in defense spending by NATO allies since Trump first took office in 2017.

“That, I think, is a big win for NATO. It’s a big win for Donald Trump, and allies are hoping that he will take that,” Lungescu said.

Meanwhile, significant changes are already unfolding for the U.S. military in Europe. Last year, the U.S. ended an Army brigade rotation in Romania and in May canceled the deployment of a separate armored brigade mission to Poland. There also are plans to reduce force levels by 5,000 troops in Germany.

While Trump has said he will add 5,000 troops to Poland, the Defense Department hasn’t detailed how those plans will be carried out.

At the same time, the Pentagon has reduced the number of troops and capabilities it will bring to Europe in the event of a crisis, forcing NATO to rethink its defense plans as allies are called upon to fill the gaps.

The various moves are related to a Pentagon push to shift most of the defense burden in Europe to allies, an idea U.S. leaders call NATO 3.0.

While some of the messages from Washington have been a jolt, there is now a general recognition among allies that Europe needs to take the lead, Lungescu said.

“If you look at this process, it’s a bit like the stages of grief, they’ve gone from denial and anger to acceptance and some action,” she said.