Former U.S. ambassador calls “NATO 3.0” “lipstick on a pig”

Ivo Daalder, who served as U.S. ambassador to NATO during Barack Obama’s presidency, has called the alliance’s rebranding under the name “NATO 3.0” superficial camouflage. He said the new term conceals Washington’s weakening commitment to European security.

Daalder made the remarks in an interview with Euronews.

“It’s like putting lipstick on a pig,” Daalder said.

He said the Trump administration is “signaling that European security no longer matters to U.S. security.” Daalder stressed that the existence of alliances rests on a shared perception of threats and the principle that the security of each member is indivisible.

“Donald Trump and his administration have abandoned both ideas,” he added.

What “NATO 3.0” means

The term was introduced by Elbridge Colby, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy. The concept describes a division of responsibilities in which European allies take on primary responsibility for the continent’s conventional defense, while Washington redirects resources toward the Western Hemisphere and the Indo-Pacific region.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth promoted the concept at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on June 18, announcing a six-month review of the American military presence in Europe.

“Europe can and should take on primary responsibility for its own conventional defense,” Hegseth told the ministers.

The Pentagon has notified allied planners of reductions in capabilities available to Europe in crisis situations, including the withdrawal of B-52 bombers and submarines, as well as a reduction in the number of F-16 and F-15E combat aircraft offered to allies from approximately 150 to 100 units.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte framed the shift differently.

“A stronger Europe in a stronger NATO,” Rutte told reporters in June.

Skeptics warn of possible disintegration

Jan Brzezinski, a former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO Policy, echoed Daalder’s concerns. In an interview with Euronews, he said that many in the current administration no longer view Europe with the same interest as before.

“Vital interests are what people are willing to fight and die for, and in the current administration many no longer look at Europe with the same interest,” Brzezinski said.

Brzezinski also warned that without American mediation, old tensions on the continent could flare up again.

“Let’s be realistic: before NATO and the beneficial involvement of the United States on the continent, Europe was torn apart by conflicts and lived through two world wars,” he added.

Against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine, increasing drone incursions, and hybrid attacks, ten countries, including Ukraine, signed a declaration in Paris on July 13 establishing an Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition. NATO allies at a defense industry forum in Ankara agreed to purchase up to 10 GlobalEye airborne early warning aircraft to replace aging American airborne warning systems.