US Pushes 2027 Deadline for Europe to Lead NATO Defense

The United States has told European members of NATO that it expects them to assume the bulk of the alliance’s conventional defense responsibilities — including intelligence, missile defenses and general military readiness — by 2027, according to senior Pentagon officials speaking with European diplomats.

At a meeting in Washington this week, U.S. defense officials delivered the message to European delegations. The proposal would mark a dramatic shift in how NATO operates, with Europe taking on most of the heavy lifting previously shouldered by the U.S.

The U.S. officials reportedly indicated that, should European nations fail to meet the 2027 benchmark, Washington could scale back — or even withdraw from — certain NATO defense coordination activities.

European diplomats reacted with skepticism. Many argued that reaching the required capabilities within two years is unrealistic. Challenges include production backlogs for military equipment, logistical hurdles, and the difficulty of replicating core assets — especially U.S.-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.

In addition, there is no clear metric yet for how NATO — or the U.S. — would assess Europe’s progress under this plan. Some U.S. lawmakers are reportedly concerned about the implications of such a rapid “handover.”

Though European states have boosted defense spending in recent years — partly in response to the war in Ukraine — even more ambitious targets have already been adopted within the alliance. For instance, NATO members committed to raise defense and security-related expenditures to 5 % of GDP by 2035. Nonetheless, analysts say even that 2035 goal was seen as bold, and achieving a full operational turnover by 2027 represents an especially steep climb.