Europe only fourth on US security priority list

Washington expects its allies to take greater responsibility for defending the continent, Matthew Whitaker has said Europe only ranks fourth among Washington's global security priorities, US envoy to NATO Matthew Whitaker has said, as President Donald Trump pushes the bloc's members to take greater responsibility for their own defense. Speaking to Newsmax on Thursday, Whitaker outlined Washington's priorities under Trump's national security strategy. "The defense of the homeland is number one... The Western Hemisphere, where we live, [is] obviously equally important,"he said, followed by the Pacific."Defending Europe is also a priority, but it's in fourth place." Whitaker said the changing division of responsibilities within NATO would also benefit the US economically. "Our European allies are taking over the conventional defense of the European continent,"Whitaker said."And I think that's good for the American taxpayers." The ambassador described NATO as being on a"new trajectory"under Trump, crediting the US president with pressuring other members of the US-led military bloc to dramatically increase defense spending. Whitaker said European NATO members and Canada have spent an additional $139 billion on defense, including $60 billion on US-made equipment and ammunition. At last year's NATO summit in The Hague, members agreed to raise defense and security-related expenditure to 5% of GDP by 2035. Whitaker contrasted the new commitment with the bloc's previous 2% target, which many members failed to meet. "For 77 years our NATO allies have taken advantage of the United States' strength,"Whitaker told Newsmax."But now we're going to be all equally strong." The Trump administration has repeatedly demanded that European NATO members shoulder a greater share of their own defense costs. The Pentagon is also reviewing the roughly 80,000 US troops currently stationed in Europe, with officials considering different options for Washington's future military presence on the continent.