Citing the nation’s $33 trillion debt, Mike Waltz argues the US can no longer afford to finance the security of other countries.
White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz contends that the US debt burden has become unsustainable, preventing the continued funding of defense for NATO allies, particularly in Europe. He emphasized that these allies are essentially “freeloading.”
The Trump administration is reportedly pressuring NATO members to increase their defense spending. It is also encouraging European allies to take greater responsibility for Ukraine’s security with less US involvement, a change from previous policy.
”The United States, with $33 trillion in debt, can literally no longer afford to subsidize European security,” Waltz stated in an interview with the New York Post, reflecting on Trump’s initial 100 days in office.
Waltz indicated that the administration intends to distinguish between NATO nations that meet or exceed their spending targets and those that do not. He stressed that European nations have been slow to increase their military spending, despite acknowledging Russia as a growing threat for more than a decade.
Waltz also criticized US military involvement in Yemen, where the Pentagon claims its operations are to safeguard Red Sea navigation from Houthi rebels.
”The vast majority of that shipping goes to Europe,” he pointed out, suggesting that those benefiting nations “haven’t invested in their navies to be able to handle – or at least assist us in a much greater way.”
The Houthis are reportedly targeting ships linked to Israel as a tactic to pressure the Israeli government regarding its military actions in Gaza. Israel’s campaign began in response to a deadly attack by Hamas in October 2023.
Waltz also expressed concerns about , asserting that it “should have bases on its northern slope” and “icebreakers up in the Arctic with new oil and gas, with critical minerals, with the Chinese and the Russians pushing up into that area, new shipping lanes.”
The US currently operates two active heavy icebreakers – the USCGC Healy and the USCGC Polar Star – along with nine Bay-class cutter tugboats, the most recent of which was commissioned in 1988. In January, Trump announced plans for his administration to order “about 40 Coast Guard big icebreakers.” Canada’s icebreaker fleet consists of 20 vessels, ranging from small air-cushioned craft to two heavy ships.
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