Pentagon sends NATO allies questionnaire on political loyalty
Alex Marquardt
The Pentagon has sent NATO allies a questionnaire asking whether they publicly support US foreign policy priorities and align with the Trump administration's approach, according to documents obtained by Al Jazeera. The questions reflect efforts to draw allies into the Iran conflict and gauge their political loyalty, with experts noting a conflation of NATO issues with unilateral US military actions.
The Pentagon has handed US NATO allies a lengthy list of questions about whether they adhere to President Donald Trump's vision for the transatlantic alliance, according to documents exclusively obtained by Al Jazeera.
The questionnaire directly asks whether allies “publicly support US foreign policy priorities.” Another section queries: “Does the nation demonstrate alignment with the US approach in a manner that is 'strong, clear, and discreet'?” — referencing a phrase used by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in his May speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
The document's markings and wording suggest the questions are meant to guide interactions between US officials and NATO counterparts during the Pentagon's six-month review of US forces in Europe.
The three-page document, titled “Questions for NATO Allies and Key Stakeholders,” was obtained from an official who received it. Bloomberg News previously reported on a portion of the questionnaire.
The most explicitly political questions appear at the end of the document. One probes allies on whether they impose any restrictions on US access to bases and military flights over their territory, a matter that has become a point of tension amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Several European nations imposed such restrictions after the conflict began on February 28.
“Are they willing to reduce or eliminate those restrictions?” the questionnaire continues.
Experts say the document reflects a growing effort under Trump to draw US allies into the Iran war, even though the conflict falls outside NATO's collective defense treaty scope.
“This administration has conflated NATO topics with unilateral US military campaigns,” an unnamed senior defense official from a NATO country said. “This questionnaire reflects that confusion. NATO has nothing to do with the Middle East.”
The questionnaire also asks whether allies have endorsed the Trump administration's “NATO 3.0” concept, which calls on European allies to take more responsibility for their own defense with “reduced US support.” Other lines repeat Trump's demands that allies spend more on defense and contribute more to NATO's command structure and forces.
Some countries have already clashed with the requests referenced in the questionnaire. Trump, for instance, has repeatedly criticized Spain for seeking an exemption from the 2025 NATO agreement to raise military spending to 5 percent of GDP. In March, Spain also closed its airspace to US aircraft and refused to allow US use of bases for strikes on Iran. Trump responded by threatening to cut trade with Madrid.
A senior European official, speaking anonymously, noted that the questionnaire “does not explicitly condition US military presence on political loyalty.” But the official added that it reflects “the Pentagon's desire to build a case for specific, almost retaliatory troop cuts.” It also sends a message to allies to “stay on the good side of the White House by expecting close alignment with its agenda.”
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions about the story. “These kinds of issues often come up in conversations, whether under Democrats or Republicans,” Jim Townsend, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defense, told Al Jazeera's This is America. “We know this administration places a high premium on loyalty, whether it's with their own people or allies, especially. And President Trump has spoken to allies quite sternly about his expectations for their loyalty and support to the US.”
