Bloomberg: US Sends NATO Allies Questionnaire Testing Ideological Loyalty to Trump Policies Ahead of Troop Cuts

Bloomberg reported August 14, 2026 that Washington circulated a document to NATO capitals asking allies to demonstrate political loyalty to Trump administration policy before the Pentagon decides on troop and equipment cuts in Europe. The questionnaire asks whether a country has been "publicly supportive" of US foreign policy, what "restrictions" it places on US military use of its bases (including for Middle East and Western Hemisphere operations), whether it is directing defense purchases to American contractors, whether it has "publicly opposed" EU "buy European" regulations that could limit US defense contracts, and whether it aligns with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's "strong, clear, and quiet" doctrine. Allies reacted with alarm, calling it a break from the post-WWII norm that US security guarantees transcend political differences; the document arrives weeks into the Pentagon's six-month Europe force-posture review (expected to conclude by December) that has already produced a 5,000-troop cut from Germany, with additional forces redirected to Poland citing the election of nationalist President Karol Nawrocki. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, asked about the broader posture review (not the questionnaire specifically), called it something that is "bringing NATO closer together."