NATO's Rutte Tells Berlin Conference 'NATO 3.0' Is Alliance's Biggest Shift Since the Cold War

Addressing Germany's annual Heads of Mission Conference in Berlin on September 10, 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte described 'NATO 3.0' — the reordering of the alliance so European members and Canada assume primary responsibility for conventional deterrence while the US retains its role as the backbone of nuclear deterrence — as 'the most profound transformation of the Alliance since the Cold War.' Rutte said the underlying mindset shift is that 'security is not something the US should do for us, but with us,' and praised Germany's practical contributions to the new division of labor: a newly permanent armored brigade in Lithuania, the German-Netherlands Corps taking on a NATO eastern-flank command role, and expanded German aircraft, ships and defense-industrial output ('you are producing more, and doing more for our Alliance'). Rutte also addressed the alleged Russian hybrid attack on a Leipzig defense factory, telling the German audience 'NATO stands in full solidarity with Germany. You have 31 friends and Allies by your side.' The speech did not address the Pentagon's Europe force-posture review or US troop levels directly, leaving the September 18 Colby-EUCOM decision briefing and November 6 troop-options deadline as the next concrete milestones on that separate track.