NATO Faces a Loyalty Test: Trump Sends Questionnaires to Allies, Threatening Withdrawal for Noncompliance
To assess the loyalty of NATO allies, the Trump administration has developed a questionnaire.
According to foreign media revelations, the United States will distribute this questionnaire to all NATO countries, covering three areas: foreign policy positions, military base access rights, and defense procurement, in order to evaluate each nation's allegiance and compliance with U.S. interests—and adjust the deployment of American forces across Europe accordingly.
The evaluation criteria of this questionnaire are entirely based on the core principles articulated by U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth: "strong, clear, and low-key." Every question directly targets existing disagreements between U.S. and European defense policies, leaving no room for ambiguity—emphasizing unambiguous stances.
One question explicitly challenges nations: "Do you actively and publicly support all of America’s foreign strategies and core agendas?" The options are simply "Yes" or "No"—no middle ground exists. Choosing "No" means bracing for a storm of consequences from Washington.
Another question is even more pointed: "Are you willing to unconditionally open your military bases to U.S. combat operations?" This is clearly aimed at Western European countries. During this year’s U.S.-Iran tensions, Western European nations such as Spain and Italy refused to allow U.S. military use of their bases, seeking to avoid being dragged into war.
Trump has repeatedly mocked these countries and their leaders in public speeches. Meanwhile, the performance of U.S. forces in the Middle East has only deepened his sense of humiliation, leading him to belittle allies as a way to project strength.
In addition, financial gain is also essential. The questionnaire demands that countries list the exact amount of U.S.-made weapons they purchase annually, and whether they have enacted regulations that hinder American companies from winning defense contracts in favor of domestic defense industries.
Despite Europe’s constant talk about "independence and self-reliance," inertia and internal contradictions are not the only obstacles—the United States also plays a significant role in blocking progress. If Europe achieves true military independence, American defense contractors would lose their most lucrative customer base.
Ultimately, the scores from this questionnaire will directly determine the global deployment of U.S. military forces. Countries scoring poorly may face large-scale U.S. troop withdrawals.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873563218916428/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.