Pentagon quizzes NATO allies on political loyalty, documents reveal

NATO allies probed on loyalty to US policies in Pentagon questionnaire obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera.The Pentagon has handed NATO allies of the United States a long list of questions about whether they are adhering to President Donald Trump’s vision for the transatlantic alliance, according to documents obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera.The questionnaire asks pointedly whether the allies have been “publicly supportive of US foreign policy priorities”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3NATO ‘prepared’ to defend allies amid report of Iranian strike planslist 2 of 3North Korea leader’s sister denies talks with ‘hostile’ USlist 3 of 3Why is Russia threatening UK with ‘consequences’ over Ukraine drones?end of listAnother bullet point poses the query, “Has the country shown alignment with the US approach to [be] ‘strong, clear, and quiet?'” a reference to a phrase used by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in his address at the Shangri-La Dialogue in May.The markings on the document and the phrasing suggest the questions are meant to guide interactions between US officials and their NATO counterparts during an ongoing six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe.The three-page document, titled “Questions for NATO Allies & Other Key Stakeholders”, was obtained from an official who received it. Bloomberg News first reported on parts of the questionnaire.The most overtly political questions come at the end. One question probes allies about whether they have placed restrictions on US access to bases and military flights over their countries, an issue that has become a source of friction amid the Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="38678" data-entity-type="event">US-Israel war on Iran.Several European countries imposed such restrictions after the start of the war on February 28.“Are they willing to reduce or eliminate any such restrictions?” the questionnaire then asks.Experts say the document reflects a growing effort under Trump to involve US allies in the Iran war, even if the conflict falls outside the purview of NATO’s collective defence pact.