Armed Forces News

Defense Secretary James Mattis reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to NATO, but warned allies that they must accept a greater share of the burden of ensuring their safety. Noting that only Estonia, Greece, Poland and the United Kingdom are committing at least 2 percent of their annual defense spending to the alliance, Mattis told other members they must do the same. In a Feb. 16 press conference conducted after Mattis met with defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Mattis said his remarks were well received.  “We thoroughly discussed the increased threats facing our alliance, and, unified by the threats to our democracies, I found strong alliance resolve to address these growing threats,” Mattis said.