The UK Defence Secretary, John Healey, and US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, recently reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening NATO and addressing global security challenges, including sustained support for Ukraine.
Their discussions come amid ongoing concerns about Russian aggression and the need for increased defence spending across the Alliance, according to remarks made in the House of Commons and a readout provided by the US Department of Defense.
Speaking in Parliament on 10 February, Healey highlighted his recent engagement with Hegseth, stating, “I held the first call with the new US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, last month. We discussed the importance of all NATO allies doing more, including on defence spending. I look forward to meeting Secretary Hegseth this week at the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers.”
The conversation, held on 31 January, focused on increasing Allied defence investment and industrial base capacity to strengthen NATO’s ability to respond to security threats.
A US Department of Defense readout confirmed, “The two leaders committed to continuing the especially close coordination between the United Kingdom and the United States on defence issues, including our Warfighters deployed shoulder to shoulder to secure our shared interests.”
During the exchange int he Commons, Wendy Chamberlain, MP for North East Fife, urged Healey to push for a clear path to victory for Ukraine during the upcoming Munich Security Conference. “Can the Secretary of State assure me that he will use the upcoming Munich security conference to determine with allies the best way of ensuring Ukraine’s victory?” she asked.
Healey reassured her, noting, “The new US Defence Secretary is spending his third full week in office in Europe. He has made it clear that he wants to discuss how to strengthen alliances, how to expand our defence industries on both sides of the Atlantic, and how to boost allied defence spending, including on Ukraine.”
The Secretary of State also spoke on NATO’s united stance on Euro-Atlantic security, detailing plans to chair the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, a 50-nation coalition focused on coordinating military support for Ukraine. “
Everyone in NATO, including every one of the European allies within NATO, is ready and is stepping up on Euro-Atlantic security,” Healey said. “This Wednesday I will have the privilege of chairing the Ukraine defence contact group… because we must stay with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Labour MP Chris McDonald further pressed Healey on NATO’s strategic responses to Russia, reflecting growing concern over the need for robust deterrence. “In the face of wider Russian aggression, could [the Secretary] expand on what conversations he has already had with NATO counterparts about how NATO can respond appropriately to the threat from Russia?”
Healey reiterated the importance of NATO’s collective efforts, underscoring how the alliance has stepped up security measures in response to evolving threats.
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More hot air and not called out by UKDJ. Very poor journalism if reposting press released is actually journalism.
What are they going to say… NATO a crap feast that’s just about to fall apart if nothing changes..of course not that would be counter productive..this is geopolitics, they are going to say the thing that helps to keep the wheels on the bus and our enemies guessing.
I’m surprised you didn’t pick up on the location – Munich!
All we need is come bloke declaring, ‘Peace in our time!’ and we will be right there…..
Although, fortunately the worm has slightly turned in Chamberlin’s favour with the recognition that he was buying time for the urgently needed rearmament…..Europe urgently needs to rearm….is there a slow echo round here that takes from 1938 to 2025…..
Hi SB, Yes it has a sense of Deja Vu about it, but there are some huge differences and IMHO the main one is there just isn’t the ability to accept sacrifice ! By that I don’t mean loss of life I mean sacrifice of lifestyle, of comfort and a National acceptance of that inevitability.
Quite simply I doubt that our modern British society will accept cuts to benefits, welfare, health care and that is what is required if we are to afford a real, meaningful and fully funded increase in Defence expenditure.
And that’s before you even start to tackle the National Psychological issue with increased regular and reserve forces.
And the worst thing of all is that I suspect none of our Politicians are ready to even ask us if we would accept it. They just don’t have the guts to engage us as adults in open discussion or the quiet Political skill of Chamberlain (and Baldwin) who really kick started rearmament in 1935. We even had a Treasury which reduced the agreed Army rearmament budget and used it to double the RAF’s as they thought it was needed more. Can you imagine that happening now ?
Agreed.
Jonathan, why do you think NATO might fall apart? 23 countries now spend over 2% on Defence which is a big improvement and 2 new members have recently joined. Enhanced Forward Protection missions in Eastern Europe are doing well and some are being upgraded from BG to brigade level. NATO coordination in delivering military support to Ukraine is going very well. Trump really is unlikely to leave NATO, if that is what you are worried about.
Hopefully John Healey agreed that spending across the alliance should increase to meet to 2% but requested that the USA cut defence spending to 1% or pass laws to stop allowing non allied nations to hold US National debt, as this could result in undermining NATO.
For example China now holds $860 billion USD of US debt. So say its 2.5% interest per year on that debt, that’s $21.5 billion USD that America pay to is “Enemy”. That’s more than the majority of NATO countries can spend. Plus China will be getting value for money compared with NATO spending.
I mean after all old boy, who on this green earth is going to invade a country with 83 Million armed Civilians, the second amendment is the USA biggest defense policy.
Hopefully behind closed doors the US Defence Secretary told our Mr Healey bluntly that our days of having defence on the cheap are coming to an end and we need to be spending 3% in two years or the US starts shipping out of Europe.
I hope you are right, American politicians don’t seem to have much choice but to push Europe to stand back up again with the political climate at home.
At this point it seems only external pressure from the US is likely to “convince/force” leadership to switch from empty rhetoric to action in taking defence seriously, war in Europe doesn’t seem to have done much to effect actual change.
Healey knows this but Rachel from Accounts and Two-Tier Kier don’t.
What age are you 5
It will be interesting to see how the US reacts if little changes with the SDR or if cuts get worse, I can’t imagine that the ‘special relationship’ will help much if the post SDR direction leaves the US needing to take even more responsibility to cover NATO in Europe where the U.K. can no longer.
AT. Good point. The US considered our army was far too small when it was 82,000 and was no longer ‘Tier 1’.
Defence Secretary says Shoulder to shoulder to who’s he kidding 🙄 it’s more words , with no meat on the Bone .To be honest it’s tooth face to have this conversation when he’s just cut out Assault ships 🤑
I’d imagine that it was the US telling us we need to spend more on defence, up the army to 100,000 etc, and John Healy blustering on about our defence review, and increasing to 2.5% at some point in the next thousand years, and the US defence secretary just getting frustrated.