Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin in Normandy on the margins of the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings. Honoring the legacy of the Allied forces who liberated the continent, Secretary Hegseth emphasized that the historic victory of 1944 was built on a foundation of burden sharing among capable, committed Allies.
Secretary Hegseth and Minister Vautrin discussed the urgent need for NATO allies to assume primary responsibility for the conventional defense of the European continent by increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP, boosting defense industrial base production, and fielding combat credible forces. The leaders agreed that the alliance must accelerate its transition to NATO 3.0 – an alliance of real partners, not dependents.
