NATO members can be reassured.
After the Trump years marked by mistrust of the transatlantic alliance, the Pentagon has announced its desire to turn the page, and henceforth to take the important decisions in full consultation with them.
As the defense ministers of the Atlantic Alliance meet virtually on Wednesday and Thursday, Lloyd Austin, the new Pentagon chief, will send a "
positive
message
on the relevance of NATO
", spokesman John Kirby said on Friday. .
“
He wants to revitalize our commitment to the alliance,
” he added.
And his message "
will be that we are better when we act together, working as a team makes us stronger, and collective security is shared security but it is also in our common interest
”.
The thorny issue of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, scheduled for early May, will be high on the agenda.
Washington reduced the number of its troops in Afghanistan to 2,500 on January 15, while NATO allies maintained their strength in the country.
But the Taliban's attacks have redoubled, and an advisory group set up by the US Congress recently called for pushing back the deadline to early May.
Read also: The Taliban warn NATO against an extension of its presence in Afghanistan
Still, no decision on the matter is expected, Kirby warned.
"
It is the commander-in-chief (President Joe Biden, editor's note) who makes these kinds of decisions,
" he recalled.
Change of tone
The frictions during the Trump years had been heightened by the US billionaire's insistence on "
making
US allies
pay
" for their defense.
Again, the tone has changed.
"
I think the minister will recall that collective security is shared security
," said Mr. Kirby, recalling that the NATO allies committed in 2014 to devote 2% of their budget to defense.
Other topics of discussion will be the freezing of the partial withdrawal of American troops from Germany, decided by Donald Trump.
The former American president announced in June that he wanted to reduce the American contingent permanently stationed in Germany to 25,000 soldiers, against 34,500 currently.
The withdrawal had not actually started when Mr. Biden arrived at the White House on January 20, another Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell, told AFP.
“
We were still in the planning phase
,” he explained.
The ministers are also expected to discuss foreign jihadists still detained in camps in northeastern Syria administered by Kurdish forces, a case in which the new Biden government calls on the international community to repatriate its nationals, in continuity with Donald's administration. Trump: Most countries, especially in Europe, with nationals in these camps are reluctant to welcome them.
Some, including France, have repatriated a limited number of children orphaned by jihadists.
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