{"id":29994,"date":"2021-02-16T20:37:23","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T20:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:33:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:33:47","slug":"biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden admin wants new \u2018tone\u2019 with NATO, but the old challenges remain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><b>Updated 2\/16\/21 at 5:00 pm EST with comment from NATO spokesperson.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 As Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends his first NATO ministerial this week, he will carry a message seeking a \u201crevitalized\u201d relationship between America and its European allies \u2014 but will not back down on pushing for greater military spending, two senior defense officials said Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Virtual though it may be, the ministerial is the first true international event for Austin since he took office. The defense officials, speaking to media ahead of the event, made it clear they he plans to use that opportunity to convey a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2020\/08\/28\/trump-boosts-questionable-nato-funding-claims-in-gop-convention-speech\/\" target=_blank>different tone<\/a> than the Trump administration, which was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/12\/16\/would-trump-drive-nato-exit-congress-works-on-roadblocks\/\" target=_blank>famously combative<\/a> with the NATO nations over a 2 percent GDP spending target on defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI do think that you\u2019re going to see at this ministerial a real focus on revitalizing the U.S. relationship with the alliance, a change in our tone and approach, and a desire to work with our allies and partners,\u201d the first official said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2021\/02\/15\/nato-leader-allies-must-avoid-capability-gaps-while-investing-in-disruptive-tech\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"196\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231183204.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">NATO leader: Allies must avoid capability gaps while investing in disruptive tech<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cWe need to make sure that when different allies have more and more advanced capabilities \u2014 aircraft, battle tanks, ships, drones, whatever it is \u2014 that they can communicate, that we don\u2019t end up with a new technological gap,\u201d said Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several times during the press call, the officials stressed the focus on \u201cconsulting\u201d with allies, particularly when it comes to any changes in force posture. The phrasing represents a clear signal from the Biden administration after the Trump administration announced plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/06\/30\/trump-approves-pentagon-plan-to-pull-9500-us-troops-from-germany\/\" target=_blank>shift 9,500 troops out of Germany<\/a> with what European officials described as little or no consultation with regional leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those troop withdrawals <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2021\/02\/03\/us-european-command-chief-germany-drawdown-is-on-freeze-amid-review\/\" target=_blank>have now been frozen<\/a> as Austin and his team review America\u2019s force posture globally. Asked whether troops that were planned to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/06\/24\/1000-more-us-troops-to-poland-as-trump-and-duda-discuss-natos-eastern-flank\/\" target=_blank>shift to Poland <\/a>would be changed, the first official said \u201cour posture in Europe is critical to us national security interests. And I would in no way expect to see anything that would look like a withdrawal\u201d from Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Austin may be carrying a different tone than Trump officials did when visiting NATO, the focus on getting allies to keep defense spending up will continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think what you\u2019re going to hear is that we expect all allies to live up to this commitment. It\u2019s a commitment we have all made. We\u2019re appreciative of those who have moved in this direction, and we applaud that, but we all know that there\u2019s more work to be done,\u201d the first official said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That may set up an early stress point with some NATO nations, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2020\/08\/06\/germany-floats-a-new-nato-spending-yardstick-10-percent\/\" target=_blank>have long argued<\/a> that the 2 percent figure is flawed and that countries who take more direct action, such as deploying forces abroad to support NATO missions, should receive more credit in that regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg on Monday stated that \u201cburden-sharing is about spending 2 percent, but burden-sharing is also about contributions and capabilities.\u201d However, a NATO spokesperson stressed that those comments were in line with previous statements from Stoltenberg, noting there is \u201cabsolutely no weakening of the commitment to 2 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stoltenberg, who plans to use the ministerial to discuss several proposals as part of his NATO 2030 plan, also stated that America\u2019s allies have contributed a cumulative $190 billion to the alliance since 2014, and that nine members are now expected to spend 2 percent or more of their GDP on defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Noted the first senior defense official: \u201cYou\u2019ve probably heard the secretary-general say, he\u2019s got these three C\u2019s he talks about: cash, contributions and capabilities. At the end of the day, cash is inextricably linked to those other two. And if we don\u2019t invest enough cash today, we\u2019re just not going to be ready for tomorrow\u2019s challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aside from big-picture NATO issues, expect significant discussion between military leaders on the future of forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. While the Trump administration lowered troop levels in both countries to 2,500 shortly before leaving office, NATO leaders are watching carefully for any signs that America may look to increase those force levels going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs you know, of course, the department is participating in an administration-wide review. And there have not been any decisions on Afghanistan troop levels,\u201d the first official said. \u201cThe United States and NATO went into Afghanistan together, we will adjust together, and if the time is right, we will leave together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the meeting, there will be a session focused on emerging and disruptive technology, including cyber issues. That issue, already a major focus for the alliance, has received a boost following the recent SolarWinds hack of U.S. government institutions, widely attributed to Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To try and get a handle on the broader cyber concerns, the second official said that they would be bringing in representatives from Sweden, Finland and the European Union \u2013 partners, but not formal members of the alliance \u2013 for part of that discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Latest numbers: <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/NATO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NATO<\/a> force levels in Afghanistan now at around 9,600. At its peak, the deployment had over 130,000 personnel. The future of NATO&#39;s Afghanistan mission will be addressed by Defence Ministers this week. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9Gkv1n0tTX\">https:\/\/t.co\/9Gkv1n0tTX<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/a6l321TbiR\">pic.twitter.com\/a6l321TbiR<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Matthias Eichenlaub (@MattEichenlaub) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MattEichenlaub\/status\/1361605649159905280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 16, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New defense secretary Lloyd Austin will virtually attend his first NATO meeting this week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":10875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"4":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","middle-column","home"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"5":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","middle-column","home"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"6":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","middle-column","home"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"7":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","middle-column","home"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"}}},"categories":[160,46,11,36,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3378],"class_list":["post-29994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-europe","category-global","category-newsletters","category-pentagon"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"J6WKTLTFPVF5PNMCDBZ6LJNTJM","arc_canonical_url":"\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Biden admin wants new \u2018tone\u2019 with NATO, but the old challenges remain - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New defense secretary Lloyd Austin will virtually attend his first NATO meeting this week.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Biden admin wants new \u2018tone\u2019 with NATO, but the old challenges remain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"New defense secretary Lloyd Austin will virtually attend his first NATO meeting this week.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-16T20:37:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T22:33:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Aaron Mehta\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Aaron Mehta\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Biden admin wants new \u2018tone\u2019 with NATO, but the old challenges remain\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-02-16T20:37:23+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T22:33:47+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 787,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/210202-A-DQ632-0030Y.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Europe\",\n\t                \"Global\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Biden admin wants new \u2018tone\u2019 with NATO, but the old challenges remain - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/210202-A-DQ632-0030Y.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-02-16T20:37:23+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T22:33:47+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"New defense secretary Lloyd Austin will virtually attend his first NATO meeting this week.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/210202-A-DQ632-0030Y.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/210202-A-DQ632-0030Y.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/16\\\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Pentagon\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"pentagon\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Biden admin wants new \u2018tone\u2019 with NATO, but the old challenges remain\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Biden admin wants new \u2018tone\u2019 with NATO, but the old challenges remain - Defense News","description":"New defense secretary Lloyd Austin will virtually attend his first NATO meeting this week.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Biden admin wants new \u2018tone\u2019 with NATO, but the old challenges remain","og_description":"New defense secretary Lloyd Austin will virtually attend his first NATO meeting this week.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2021-02-16T20:37:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-07T22:33:47+00:00","author":"Aaron Mehta","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Aaron Mehta","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Biden admin wants new \u2018tone\u2019 with NATO, but the old challenges remain","datePublished":"2021-02-16T20:37:23+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T22:33:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/"},"wordCount":787,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/210202-A-DQ632-0030Y.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Europe","Global","Newsletters","Pentagon"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/","name":"Biden admin wants new \u2018tone\u2019 with NATO, but the old challenges remain - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/210202-A-DQ632-0030Y.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2021-02-16T20:37:23+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T22:33:47+00:00","description":"New defense secretary Lloyd Austin will virtually attend his first NATO meeting this week.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/210202-A-DQ632-0030Y.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/210202-A-DQ632-0030Y.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/16\/biden-admin-wants-new-tone-with-nato-but-the-old-challenges-remain\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pentagon","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/","ad_zone":"pentagon"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Biden admin wants new \u2018tone\u2019 with NATO, but the old challenges remain"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/210202-A-DQ632-0030Y.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29994"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75328,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29994\/revisions\/75328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29994"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=29994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}