Washington wants Europe to shoulder more of NATO’s military burden

As NATO’s annual nuclear drills unfold this month (October 13-23), an internal change is taking shape that may mark the end of the alliance as we have known it: NATO 3.0.

NATO 3.0 is a rebalancing, not a new treaty: Europe is expected to assume primary responsibility for its conventional defense.

Launched earlier this year as the vision of Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defense for policy in the Trump administration, the concept aims to let Washington wind down much of its conventional military footprint in Europe – while keeping the American nuclear umbrella in place and preserving US strategic leadership.