U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that “model allies” like Poland, which prioritize their own defense, will receive “special favor” from Washington in the future, as he outlined America’s new security doctrine.
Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California on Saturday, Hegseth heaped praise on Warsaw and the Baltic states, saying the countries on NATO’s eastern flank had “stepped up” at a time when the U.S. is pushing its allies to shoulder more of their own defense.
Outlining President Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategy, which has unsettled European governments due to its sharply critical tone toward Europe, Hegseth said: “Model allies that step up like Israel, South Korea, Poland, increasingly Germany, the Baltics and others will receive our special favor.
“Allies that do not, allies that still fail to do their part for collective defense, will face consequences,” he added.
The White House published the new National Security Strategy on Thursday, which sets out a dramatic reorientation of U.S. priorities, stating that “the days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over” and that Washington will now pivot away from Europe and toward the Western Hemisphere.
The 33-page document, which Trump described as a “road map” for his vision of ensuring the U.S. remains “the greatest and most successful nation in human history,” delivered a scathing critique of Europe, long regarded as America’s closest partner but which Trump has consistently accused of being too reliant on Washington for its security.
‘Our allies are not children’
Endorsing America’s new policy, Hegseth said that allies must be expected to carry more responsibility for their own defense, adding that the U.S. wants partnerships based on capabilities rather than symbolism.
“Real partnerships and alliances based on hard power. Not just flags and fancy conferences based on theories and hot rhetoric,” he said.
“Our allies are not children. They are nations capable of doing far more for themselves than they have. And it is time they stand up. And they are!” he added.
Why US praises Warsaw
Poland, along with the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, has moved to rapidly increase its defense spending, sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and amid rising security threats from Moscow.
Warsaw currently spends the highest percentage of its GDP on defense among all NATO member states, a trait that has often earned it praise from Trump and other U.S. officials.
Despite the U.S. saying it plans to cut its military footprint in Europe, Trump ruled out any reduction in the American military presence in Poland, saying in September: “We’ll put more there if they want.”
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