NATO Allies Race to Replace US Forces Withdrawn from Collective Defense

🛡️ NATO — Allies are backfilling US gaps nobody officially admitted existed. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Washington's quiet withdrawal of pledged assets forces allies to cover capabilities they were told were guaranteed — bombers, warships, forward forces. The 4% GDP commitment just bought Europe less than advertised. For Italy and France, already fiscally exposed, plugging US gaps means spending above the new baseline, not toward it.