After Calling on NATO to Increase Defense Spending, Mattis Says Trump ‘Fully Supports’ Alliancehttp://freebeacon.com/national-security/mattis-says-trump-fully-supports-nato/Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Friday that President Trump has given NATO his "full support" two days after the Pentagon chief called on the alliance to spend more on defense or risk seeing the United States "moderate its commitment."
Mattis was speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Friday when he reassured NATO allies that Article Five of the NATO agreement, which requires that member-states defend each other if attacked, remains a "bedrock commitment" for the U.S., Defense News reported.
On Wednesday, Mattis told senior defense officials from NATO countries in a closed-door meeting that they need to spend more on the alliance's common defense.
"I owe it to you all to give you clarity on the political reality in the United States, and to state the fair demand from my country's people in concrete terms," Mattis said. "America will meet its responsibilities, but if your nations do not want to see America moderate its commitment to the alliance, each of your capitals needs to show its support for our common defense."
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