The United States: Threatening Actions Against NATO Allies for Not Meeting Military Spending Targets
Will the United States follow through on its threats? Highly critical of its NATO allies’ actions in the Middle East, Washington is considering several measures against other members of the politico-military organization, according to a report by Reuters citing an internal Pentagon email. This note details the various options Washington has against other NATO members who are non-belligerent towards Iran. Among the possibilities presented in this note is the suspension of Spain from the alliance. Madrid had decided at the end of March to close its airspace to American military aircraft, including refuelers.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has repeatedly criticized US President Donald Trump and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. For several months, Trump has also criticized Spain for not increasing its military spending to 5% of GDP, as required by the new NATO target pushed by Washington. As Reuters points out, the United States has two military bases in Spain: the Rota naval base and the Morón air base.
“We do not work based on emails, we work based on official documents and positions that the United States government formulates,” Pedro Sánchez responded to Spanish journalists. “The position of the Spanish government is clear: absolute cooperation with our allies, but always within the framework of international legality,” he continued.
Withdrawal of American Troops Not Considered
Could this be technically possible? There was no response to this question in the Pentagon email, according to Reuters, which is also unaware of such a suspension mechanism. In any case, suspending Spain from NATO would have a limited military effect, but the symbolism would be important, according to the Department of Defense.
Other options include a possible reassessment of American support for European “imperial possessions” such as the Falkland Islands (east of Argentina), a British overseas territory claimed by Argentina. As Reuters notes, Argentine President Javier Milei is also an ally of Donald Trump. Additionally, without providing further details, the option of suspending “difficult” countries from their important positions in NATO is being considered.
Could the United States go as far as leaving NATO? “Wouldn’t you do it in my place?” Donald Trump responded to Reuters on April 1. However, this hypothesis is not addressed in the internal Pentagon email, which does not mention the closure of American bases in Europe. “As President Trump has said, despite all that the United States has done for our NATO allies, they were not there for us,” replied Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson to Reuters.
