Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told America's NATO allies that they cannot assume that the U.S. military presence in Europe "will last forever."
"The American troop levels on the continent are important," Hegseth said during a news conference Friday in Warsaw with his Polish counterpart, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Politico reported.
"What happens five, 10, 15 years from now is part of a larger discussion that reflects the threat level, America's posture, our needs around the globe, but most importantly the capability of European countries to step up," he said.
"That's why our message is so stark to our European allies — now is the time to invest because you can't make an assumption that America's presence will last forever," Hegseth emphasized.
He pointed to Poland, which is planning on spending 4.7% of its gross domestic product on defense, as a "model ally," reiterating the Trump administration's stand that Western countries must bear more of the burden for providing for their own security.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said the current arms production of European nations falls short.
"Europe needs to wake up," he added. "Europe needs to invest in the arms industry."
The day before, Hegseth told NATO defense ministers in Brussels that European countries must do more to defend the continent, including taking on more leadership responsibility and providing more guns, missiles and troops.
"We can talk all we want about values. Values are important," Hegseth said, according to the Defense Department. "But you can't shoot values, you can't shoot flags, and you can't shoot strong speeches. There is no replacement for hard power."
He said President Donald Trump wants NATO members to ramp up defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product.
He called NATO the "most successful defense alliance in history."
"But to endure for the future, partners must do far more for Europe's defense. We must make NATO great again. It begins with defense spending," he said.
