Ekaterina Girnyk06:55, 30.01.26
This is the second time that senior US officials have sent their deputy to a NATO meeting.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not attend a key 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 US and Europe, Elbridge Colby, Under Secretary of Defense for Defense Policy, is scheduled to attend the meeting in Hegseth’s place. Colby is the third-highest-ranking civilian official in the Pentagon, holding a position within the Department of Defense, and a close ally of US Vice President J.D. Vance.
He is considered a hardliner on Europe within the Pentagon and a staunch supporter of isolationist US foreign policy, which advocates a less active American role—especially militarily—around the world. He is also responsible for developing plans for the expected withdrawal of US troops from Europe, which has been repeatedly delayed.
Colby was also responsible for developing a new US defense strategy released last week that downgraded Europe and said Washington would instead “prioritize” defending the US homeland and China.
This isn’t the first time Høgseth has skipped a NATO meeting. However, it is the second consecutive time a senior US official has skipped a high-level meeting. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also sent his deputy to the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting last month.
Oana Lungescu, a former NATO spokeswoman, said the move “risks sending another signal that the US is not listening to the concerns of its allies as closely as it should.”
However, she believes there is a silver lining: “Elbridge Colby… is best placed to explain the intentions and implications [of the new US defense strategy] and to listen to the views of allies.”
USA and Europe
It was previously announced that US Vice President J.D. Vance will not attend the Munich Security Conference this year . Instead, according to organizers, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the US delegation at the meeting in February.
Former Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis believes that the Alliance without the US would lose its largest military budget and defense industrial base, but Europe could act independently and build a stronger pan-continental defense , with the possibility of adding Ukraine to the alliance and focusing on protecting neighbors rather than global responsibilities.
(C)UNIAN 2026
America is leaving NATO in slow-motion. No joke.
NATO has been a joke for years. Not sure if it would be better if Trump just goes away and at least the death by 1,000 cuts will end. But that said, not sure Trump can “legally” walk away. It’s a commitment of the US not Trump.
“According to Politico , citing sources in the US and Europe, Elbridge Colby, Under Secretary of Defense for Defense Policy, is scheduled to attend the meeting in Hegseth’s place. Colby is the third-highest-ranking civilian official in the Pentagon, holding a position within the Department of Defense, and a close ally of US Vice President J.D. Vance.”
Colby is a really vile putler shill, hand picked to inflict maximum damage on Ukraine, a nation he despises. He’s far more dangerous than the imbecile Hegseth, because he’s intelligent.
I don’t consider Colby to be intelligent. He’s just a depraved, poisonous snake.
Kegsbreath not going is no great loss. But Colby is a pro-putler kremlin propagandist.
So, Colby will come instead. Will the Europeans know what to expect and act accordingly, or will they go about with their tails tugged snuggly betwen their stubby legs?