U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth fiercely criticized NATO allies in Brussels, calling them "shameful" for restricting American access to European bases during the war against Iran. He announced a strict Pentagon audit of U.S. military contributions to the alliance to force Europe into taking primary responsibility for its own security. Hegseth threatened to withhold U.S. dues from "free-riding" allies who fail to meet the new defense spending targets, while also criticizing European gender and migration policies. In response, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte defended the allies' recent $90-billion spending increase but accepted the review, noting that members must present credible roadmaps at next month's summit in Turkey to hit a revised target of 5% of GDP by 2035. Meanwhile, Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty stated that Canada—having recently surpassed the 2% GDP threshold—is currently developing its plan to meet the new 2035 targets.