Pentagon quizzes NATO allies on political loyalty, documents reveal

NATO allies probed on loyalty to US policies in Pentagon questionnaire obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera.

The Pentagon has handed NATO allies of the United States a long list of questions about whether they are adhering to President Donald Trump’s vision for the transatlantic alliance, according to documents obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera.

The questionnaire asks pointedly whether the allies have been “publicly supportive of US foreign policy priorities”.

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Another bullet point poses the query, “Has the country shown alignment with the US approach to [be] ‘strong, clear, and quiet?'” a reference to a phrase used by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in his address at the Shangri-La Dialogue in May.

The markings on the document and the phrasing suggest the questions are meant to guide interactions between US officials and their NATO counterparts during an ongoing six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe.

The three-page document, titled “Questions for NATO Allies & Other Key Stakeholders”, was obtained from an official who received it. Bloomberg News first reported on parts of the questionnaire.

The most overtly political questions come at the end. One question probes allies about whether they have placed restrictions on US access to bases and military flights over their countries, an issue that has become a source of friction amid the US-Israel war on Iran.

Several European countries imposed such restrictions after the start of the war on February 28.

“Are they willing to reduce or eliminate any such restrictions?” the questionnaire then asks.

Experts say the document reflects a growing effort under Trump to involve US allies in the Iran war, even if the conflict falls outside the purview of NATO’s collective defence pact.

“This administration has been confusing NATO topics with unilateral US military operations,” a senior defence official from a NATO ally said on condition of anonymity. “This questionnaire also reflects this confusion. NATO has nothing to do with the Middle East.”

A screenshot of a section of ‘Questions for NATO Allies & Other Key Stakeholders’, obtained by Al Jazeera [Al Jazeera]

The questionnaire asks whether allies have endorsed the Trump administration’s “NATO 3.0” concept, which calls for European allies to take on more responsibility for their own defence with “more limited US support”.

Other lines echo Trump’s demands that the allies spend more on defence and contribute more to NATO’s command and makeup of forces.

Certain countries have already run afoul of the demands the questionnaire refers to.

Trump, for instance, has repeatedly berated Spain over its decision to seek an exemption from a 2025 agreement among NATO allies to raise their military spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic products (GDPs).

Back in March, Spain also closed its airspace to US planes and refused to let the US use bases for attacks against Iran. Trump responded by threatening to cut trade with Madrid.

A screenshot of a section of ‘Questions for NATO Allies & Other Key Stakeholders’, obtained by Al Jazeera [Al Jazeera]

A senior European official, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that the questionnaire “doesn’t explicitly condition US military presence on political loyalty”.

But, the official added, it does reflect “the Pentagon’s desire to develop the case for specific, almost vindictive force presence reductions”. It also sends a message to allies to “be on the good side of the White House by expecting close alignment with the White House agenda”.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions about this story.

“These kinds of issues do come up in the conversation, Democrat or Republican,” US former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Jim Townsend told Al Jazeera’s This is America programme.

“We do know this administration cares very much about loyalty, whether it’s their own people or the allies, particularly. And, you know, he – President Trump – has talked to the allies quite sternly about his expectations for their loyalty and support for the US.”