{"id":2232,"date":"2026-02-12T21:07:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T21:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=2232"},"modified":"2026-02-12T21:07:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T21:07:14","slug":"defend-yourselves-and-dont-rely-on-the-us-senior-washington-official-tells-europe-world-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=2232","title":{"rendered":"Defend yourselves and don’t rely on the US, senior Washington official tells Europe | World News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Europe must take the lead in defending itself as the world becomes more militarised, but the US is not abandoning its NATO allies, a top American official has said.<\/p>\n

Elbridge Colby, the US Under Secretary of War, said the alliance must be prepared for potential enemies to strike simultaneously in different parts of the globe.<\/p>\n

This was why European members of NATO must take the “primary responsibility” when it comes to defending their homeland – as US forces are focused elsewhere.<\/p>\n

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\n Mark Rutte (C) and Elbridge Colby to his left at the talks. Pic: AP
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Ultimately, he said the alliance needs to become a modern version of its original Cold War status – defined by hard and credible fighting strength.<\/p>\n

Mr Colby, who was representing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, made the comments at a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Allies have tried to play down his boss’s absence as not signalling a reduction in US prioritisation of NATO.<\/p>\n

“The world that shaped the habits, assumptions, and force posture of NATO during the so-called ‘unipolar moment’ following the Cold War no longer exists,” Mr Colby said, according to a transcript of his remarks that were published by his department.<\/p>\n

“Power politics has returned, and military force is again being employed at a large scale,” he added.<\/p>\n

This meant that the United States, under Donald Trump<\/strong><\/a>, was prioritising the biggest threats to US interests – especially the defence of the US homeland and its interests in the Western Hemisphere.<\/p>\n

“At the same time – and critically – the United States and its allies must be prepared for the possibility that potential opponents will act simultaneously across multiple theatres, whether in a coordinated fashion or opportunistically.”<\/p>\n

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