Hegseth Issues NATO Ultimatum: 'Get in a Boat or Get Left Behind' on Iran War

At an April 24 Pentagon press briefing, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a stark public ultimatum to NATO and European allies over their failure to contribute military forces to the US Iran war and Strait of Hormuz operations: 'Get in a boat or get left behind.' Hegseth called out European 'free-riding' on American military power, noting that European economies depend heavily on Hormuz shipping traffic but have provided little to the US-led campaign, now in its 55th day. He characterized European diplomatic engagement — 'silly conferences' — as wholly inadequate and demanded 'serious' military contribution involving actual combat participation. Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson separately stated that NATO allies 'were not there for us regardless of everything the US has done for them.' The ultimatum came on the same day Reuters published the leaked Pentagon email listing punitive options against non-participating allies (suspension of Spain from NATO, Falklands leverage against UK, Rota base relocation), demonstrating a dual-track punitive posture: institutional contingency planning in classified channels combined with public humiliation by the Defense Secretary. No NATO member state has committed forces to Hormuz operations, citing absence of an Article 5 trigger, lack of a UN Security Council mandate, divergent threat assessments, and domestic political constraints.