IRIA News

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U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting met at the Pentagon on October 15, 2026, to discuss NATO burden-sharing, defense industrial cooperation, military modernization and regional security.

Both officials stressed the need to strengthen the U.S.-UK defense partnership, expand weapons production and improve supply chains as European allies face growing pressure to take greater responsibility for their own defense.

Hegseth welcomed Britain’s increased defense commitments, while Streeting emphasized that higher spending must be matched by faster procurement, technological innovation and stronger military capabilities. The meeting was part of Streeting’s first visit to Washington since taking office in July.

The meeting took place amid renewed uncertainty over U.S. support for Ukraine following a disruption to Kyiv’s Starlink satellite communications. Streeting said he and Hegseth welcomed the restoration of the service, underscoring the importance of continued allied support for Ukraine as the war with Russia continues.

U.S. Secretary of War Hegseth outlined the concept of “NATO 3.0,” which calls for European allies to assume primary responsibility for their conventional defense, allowing the United States to reduce its military presence in Europe and focus more resources on other regions, including the Pacific.

Streeting agreed that Europe needed to become more self-reliant in defense and acknowledged Washington’s concerns about its historical dependence on American military power. He said Britain’s increased military commitment was driven by its own security needs, adding that the UK intended to remain one of NATO’s strongest contributors.

He highlighted Britain’s contribution to NATO’s nuclear deterrence, more than 1,000 military personnel serving in NATO command posts, and its leadership of Joint Force Command Norfolk and the maritime and special operations components of NATO’s Allied Reaction Force. Britain is also helping develop the alliance’s next generation of long-range strike capabilities.

The UK has committed to spending 3.5% of gross domestic product on defense by 2035. Streeting stressed that increased investment must translate into effective military capabilities, describing Britain as a key link between American innovation and European defense investment.

Defense Production and Industrial Cooperation

Both officials emphasized the need to expand defense manufacturing and ensure reliable supply chains. Hegseth said the United States was working to increase domestic production while cooperating with trusted allies and partners, describing the objective as building an “arsenal of freedom” capable of supplying military forces at speed and scale.

Streeting said Britain was undergoing its largest sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War. He argued that the investment would strengthen the UK’s defense industrial base, expand manufacturing and create well-paid jobs.

He also warned against allowing policies such as “Buy British,” “Made in Europe” and “America First” to undermine allied cooperation. Instead, he called for national defense industries to complement one another and strengthen collective security.

Streeting said Britain’s active foreign military sales portfolio with the United States exceeded $11 billion. British industry produces approximately 15% of each F-35 fighter through more than 100 first-tier suppliers, supporting over 20,000 jobs. He also highlighted the AUKUS partnership, which links American investment in submarine production with Britain’s defense nuclear investment.

He called for fewer barriers to the movement of technology and expertise across the Atlantic, greater access to defense contracts for innovative companies and joint planning to help manufacturers expand production. He added that interoperability between British and American forces must be incorporated into military systems from the outset.

Security Concerns at British Military Bases

Hegseth thanked Streeting for communications concerning recent threats to U.S. military personnel and facilities in Britain, including a suspected Iran-backed terror plot and a security incident at RAF Fairford the previous month.

The incident prompted the U.S. military to withdraw bomber aircraft from the British air base and return them to the United States.

The discussion highlighted the importance of intelligence sharing and close coordination to protect military personnel, facilities and equipment stationed overseas.

Ukraine and Regional Security

The officials discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine and broader European security concerns. Streeting argued that supporting Ukraine served both democratic principles and the national security interests of Britain, the United States and their allies.

He cited Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as evidence of the risks of allowing aggression to succeed.

In a separate address at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on October 15, Streeting said the war had demonstrated the importance of defending national sovereignty and preventing borders from being changed by force.

Streeting recalled the lessons of the post-Second World War period, when the United States and Britain helped establish the foundations of transatlantic security through the Marshall Plan and NATO.

The Pentagon meeting also covered security in the Strait of Hormuz, with Hegseth urging Britain to support U.S. efforts to improve security in the strategic waterway.

Faster Procurement and Battlefield Innovation

Streeting said modern warfare increasingly depended on artificial intelligence (AI), drones, autonomous systems, cyber capabilities and electronic warfare. He argued that traditional defense procurement processes were too slow to keep pace with technological advances and warned that military advantage depended on developing and manufacturing effective equipment quickly.

The UK aims to reduce the time required to move new military platforms from concept to contract from six years to two, while cutting the timeline for adapting existing platforms from three years to one. Other defense procurement requirements are targeted for completion in less than three months.

Streeting cited the RAVEN ground-launched missile system, developed to meet an urgent Ukrainian air-defense requirement, as an example of faster procurement. Using a two-sentence operational requirement instead of a lengthy technical specification, the UK enabled the system to be designed, developed and delivered in four months. The first eight systems cost less than $25 million in total.

British small and medium-sized enterprises also developed one-way attack drones, moving from initial designs to flight testing within three months, with systems reaching Ukraine’s frontline within a year.

Streeting further highlighted cooperation with Ukraine through Avengers Lab, a military AI platform that uses frontline combat data to improve situational awareness and target identification. British universities, researchers and technology companies are using this data with Ukrainian partners to develop military AI capabilities.

He said the experience demonstrated the importance of incorporating battlefield lessons into research and procurement while they remain relevant, allowing allied forces to adapt more quickly to changing operational conditions.

The meeting underscored Washington and London’s shared emphasis on strengthening NATO, increasing European responsibility for conventional defense and expanding military production. While Hegseth stressed a more balanced alliance, Streeting reaffirmed Britain’s commitment to strengthening its armed forces and maintaining close defense cooperation with the United States.