Colby Briefs NATO Ambassadors in Brussels: Loyalty Questionnaire Was Sent 'In the Spirit of NATO 3.0'; Foreign Policy Says Deep Troop Cuts Now Unlikely

US Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby met the North Atlantic Council at NATO headquarters in Brussels on August 27, 2026, the visit previewed a day earlier by Arab News. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed Colby alongside Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska, Military Committee Chair Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, US Permanent Representative Matthew Whitaker and UK Permanent Representative Angus Lapsley. Colby confirmed on the record that the controversial allied loyalty questionnaire — leaked by Bloomberg on August 14 and criticized by former officials Karlin and Smith in Defense One on August 23 — was sent deliberately: "We want to hear from our allies. That's the questionnaire that some of you asked about. We wanted to hear from them directly in writing, in the spirit of NATO 3.0." He said the six-month Europe force-posture review, due to conclude by year-end, would focus on resolving disputes over "access, basing and overflight." Rutte credited the review with helping drive a $139 billion increase in 2025 defense spending by European allies and Canada. Foreign Policy reported the same day that despite the alarm triggered by the May 26 Der Spiegel leak on prospective jet, bomber, submarine and drone cuts, the review is now unlikely to produce major US troop reductions, given the emphasis Colby placed on burden-sharing and access arrangements over blunt drawdowns.