The end of the “paper tiger”. Trump forces a revolution in NATO, Germany takes over

The US Ministry of War (Defense) is working closely with Europeans, especially with Germany, to transform the North Atlantic Alliance into NATO 3.0, said Elbridge Colby, deputy head of the Pentagon.

“President (Donald) Trump rightly stated that Europe must mobilize and NATO can no longer be a paper tiger. Thanks to the historic commitments at The Hague, Europe has started to do just that,” Colby wrote on X, referring to the commitments to increase defense spending made at the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague.

“Now the key is, as Secretary General (NATO Mark) Rutte said, actions instead of words. As Rutte said this week: 'air defense systems, drones, ammunition, radars, space capabilities, this will keep us safe,'” he added in Friday's entry.

As he emphasized, “Germany is currently taking the leading role in this issue.” “After years of disarmament, Berlin is mobilizing. The (U.S.) War Office is already working closely with European allies, especially Germany, to accelerate this transition to NATO 3.0,” Colby wrote.

“Berlin's new military strategy shows a clear path forward and we count on close cooperation with Germany on its implementation,” continued the deputy head of the Pentagon.

He quoted General Carsten Breuer, who wrote in the introduction to the German strategy: “The military strategy reflects the idea that, as the largest economy in Europe (…), Germany must take a leading role in NATO and will do so, also at the military level (…).”

Colby added that the strategy also confirmed that Germany “will take on additional burdens, including targeted strategic responsibility for Europe at the strategic level (…) The Bundeswehr will thus become the strongest conventional army in Europe.”

The strategy said Germany must “become an even stronger military ally of the United States while working with other allies to assume greater responsibility for shared Euro-Atlantic security.”

“A domestic and European projection capacity would strengthen deterrence and collective defense, reduce the burden on the United States and increase Europe's ability to take action,” the strategy says.

“In other words, a stronger Europe will be able to contribute more to critical missions, as the president has emphasized,” Colby wrote.

“Germany's military strategy presents a clear and credible path towards NATO 3.0: a NATO in which Europe and Canada will mobilize to fulfill their obligations within the Alliance and transform it from a paper tiger into a strong means of deterrence and defense,” continued the deputy head of the Pentagon.

“President Trump has delivered a clear and consistent message that Europe and Canada need to hear. The Department of War stands ready to engage and help those who are heeding his message and taking real action at the pace the situation demands,” Colby concluded.

The deputy head of the Pentagon has already announced that the Trump administration is seeking to redefine the post-Cold War “NATO 2.0” to “NATO 3.0”. “It involves flexible realism, a practical, results-oriented approach, in some sense a return to what you might call NATO 1.0,” Colby explained at the Munich Security Conference, referring to the Cold War-era model of the alliance.

From Washington Natalia Dziurdzińska (PAP)

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