Rubio says U.S. asking why it’s in NATO after allies didn’t back Iran war

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said the Trump administration was questioning its participation in NATO after some allies didn’t offer assistance during the war with Iran, and did not deny reports of U.S. plans to reduce its troop contributions to the alliance.

Rubio was heading to the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Sweden when he was asked about a report from Reuters that the U.S. will shrink the pool of military capabilities that it would ‌have available to assist the alliance’s European nations in a major crisis, according to multiple sources.

“I don’t think anyone’s shocked to know that the United States and the president in particular is very disappointed at NATO right now,” Rubio responded, after he said such an announcement would be made by U.S. President Donald Trump or the defence department.

Although Rubio insisted he’s long been a “strong supporter” of NATO and U.S. participation in it, he said the Middle East conflict had raised the question of why NATO is “good for America.”

“I know why NATO is good for Europe, but why is NATO good for America? Because it gives us bases in the region that allow us to project power during a contingency in the Middle East or somewhere else,” he said.

“So when that is the key rationale for why you’re in NATO, and then you have countries like Spain denying us the use of these bases, well then why are you in NATO? That’s a very fair question.”

Rubio said he would be raising these issues during the NATO meeting in Sweden, which is also being attended by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand.

Global News has asked Anand’s office for comment.

7:01 What is the Joint Expeditionary Force, and could the Canadian Armed Forces join it?

NATO was created in the aftermath of the Second World War to deter an expansionist Soviet Union and ensure European security and democracy. The U.S., as the world’s largest military and nuclear power, has long played a critical role in the alliance, and leaders dating back to Dwight Eisenhower have stressed the importance of upholding a “way of life” that aligns with the U.S.

The only time NATO’s Article 5 commitment to collective defence, which says all allies will come to the aid of a member under attack, was invoked after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S. — further underscoring the value of the alliance. Thousands of non-U.S. NATO troops, including Canadians, died in the ensuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Trump has spent years questioning that value and threatening to withdraw from the alliance. Those threats and attacks on NATO have increased in the wake of the Iran war, which was launched without warning or consultations with NATO allies.

The U.S. said earlier this month it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, after Trump lashed out at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for saying the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of U.S. strategy in the war.

The U.S. then cancelled the deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland, a move that blindsided NATO and U.S. lawmakers before the Pentagon and Poland later clarified it would be a temporary delay.

Despite Trump hinting at “a lot further” troop reductions to come, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, the top NATO military commander in Europe, told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday that he does not expect any more drawdowns of American troops from the continent.

“It will be 5,000 troops coming out of Europe,” Grynkewich said at NATO headquarters in Brussels. “It’s all that I’m expecting in the near term.”

2:13 US withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany

However, Reuters reported Wednesday that the Pentagon has decided to significantly scale down its commitment to the NATO Force Model, a framework under which member countries identify a pool of available forces that could be activated during a conflict or any other major crisis, such as a military attack on a NATO member.

The precise composition of those wartime forces is a closely guarded secret, Reuters said, adding sources could not say by how much the U.S. plans to reduce its commitment.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he was not allowed to disclose the upcoming U.S. announcement but the move was “to be expected” as the alliance seeks to “end the over-reliance … on one ally” for its defence.

“This is why European and Canadian allies are increasing their spending, increasing their capabilities, massively investing in the defence industrial base on both sides of the Atlantic,” he said.

“So, this was to be expected. I think it is only right that it happens … and absolutely within the realm of the ‘no surprises’ approach.”

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has said publicly that the United States will continue to use its nuclear weapons to protect NATO members, even as European allies take the lead on conventional forces.

—With files from Reuters and The Associated Press