US Under Secretary Colby to Brief All 32 NATO Ambassadors on Europe Force Posture Review at Brussels HQ Thursday

Arab News reported August 26, 2026 that US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby is set to brief ambassadors from all 32 NATO member states at alliance headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, August 27, on Washington's six-month review of its military force posture in Europe, launched in July. NATO confirmed 'the United States is consulting with allies as part of its force posture review.' European diplomats said the session will examine member states' defense spending and their policies on American base access, with one diplomat emphasizing the need to 'send a united European message on Thursday to show how we are stepping up together' rather than allies competing individually for US favor — a dynamic already visible in the eastern-flank base-cost offer reported by Bloomberg on August 21. The briefing is the most senior in-person consultation on the posture review since it was launched, and follows weeks of allied unease over the Pentagon's separate loyalty-questionnaire exercise assessing capitals' political alignment with the Trump administration.