This is the second instance where senior U.S. officials are sending their deputies to a NATO meeting.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not attend the important meeting of NATO defense ministers on February 12, raising further questions about Washington's commitment to the Alliance.
According to Politico, citing sources in the U.S. and Europe, Elbridge Colby, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development, is set to attend the meeting in Hegseth's place. Colby is the third-ranking civilian official at the Pentagon, holding a position in the Department of Defense, and a close associate of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.
He is considered a hardliner on Europe within the Pentagon and a staunch advocate of an isolationist U.S. foreign policy that calls for a less active American role—especially militarily—around the world. He is also responsible for developing plans for the anticipated withdrawal of U.S. troops from Europe, which has been repeatedly delayed.
Colby was also responsible for developing the new U.S. defense strategy released last week, which downgraded Europe’s status, with Washington stating it would instead prioritize defending U.S. territory and China.
This is not the first time Hegseth has missed a NATO meeting. However, it is the second consecutive instance where a senior U.S. official has skipped a high-level meeting. Previously, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also sent his deputy to the NATO foreign ministers' meeting last month.
Oana Lungescu, a former NATO spokesperson, stated that this move "risks sending yet another signal that the U.S. is not listening to its allies' concerns as closely as it should."
Nevertheless, she believes there is a positive aspect: "Elbridge Colby... is best suited to explain the intentions and implications [of the new U.S. defense strategy] and to listen to allies' opinions."
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