ZeroFox Intelligence Flash Report- Incident Report: U.S. Secretary of War calls for European-led NATO

ZeroFox Intelligence Flash Report: Incident Report: U.S. Secretary of War calls for European-led NATO

Product Serial: F-2025-10-16a

TLP:CLEAR

In this Flash report, ZeroFox researchers focus on how the U.S. call for NATO to be European-led is part of a wider U.S. reprioritization away from its traditional international security role towards one more focused on the homeland.

Standing Intelligence Requirements

For the most up-to-date list of ZeroFox’s Intelligence Requirements, please visit:

https://cloud.zerofox.com/intelligence/advisories/14956

Link to Download

View the full report here

Executive Summary

On October 15, 2025, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called for a European-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). While Hegseth said the United States will continue to fulfill its obligations to NATO, a security alliance created initially after World War II to deter Soviet military aggression in Europe, he reiterated that a European-led NATO and a strong Ukraine would be the biggest deterrents against Russia, rather than the U.S. military. His comments are likely part of a wider U.S. shift away from spearheading foreign policy commitments abroad and instead relying on the most powerful regional actors to take the lead on their own national security priorities.