{"id":48282,"date":"2026-01-23T22:23:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T22:23:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:08:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:08:59","slug":"trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan spark global indignation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Donald Trump has sparked global indignation by suggesting NATO troops avoided frontline combat, minimizing the sacrifice made by America\u2019s allies during the war in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ve never needed them,\u201d Trump said of non-U.S. soldiers in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/video\/6388087049112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/video\/6388087049112\">Fox Business interview<\/a> at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday. \u201cWe have never really asked anything of them. You know, they\u2019ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that. And they did. They stayed a little back, little off the frontlines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump cast doubt on NATO\u2019s commitment to the United States, questioning if the alliance would come to America\u2019s defense under adverse circumstances. Article 5, NATO\u2019s collective security agreement, has only been triggered once in the existence of the alliance \u2014 in response to the Sept. 11 attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An estimated 3,500 American and NATO troops were killed in the subsequent 20-year war in Afghanistan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That total included nearly 2,500 Americans; 457 British; 158 Canadians; 90 French; 60 Germans; and 44 Danes, the most per capita outside the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And other countries sacrificed, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO\u2019s Chief Mark Rutte, during a bilateral meeting with Trump in Davos, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/en\/news-and-events\/events\/transcripts\/2026\/01\/21\/remarks-by-nato-secretary-general-mark-rutte-with-the-president-of-the-united-states-in-davos-switzerland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/en\/news-and-events\/events\/transcripts\/2026\/01\/21\/remarks-by-nato-secretary-general-mark-rutte-with-the-president-of-the-united-states-in-davos-switzerland\">pushed back<\/a> against the president\u2019s criticism of the alliance\u2019s contribution in Afghanistan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is one thing I heard you say yesterday and today, you were not absolutely sure that Europeans would come to the rescue of the U.S. if you will be attacked,\u201d Rutte said on Wednesday. \u201cLet me tell you, they will. And they did in Afghanistan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rutte went on to remind Trump, \u201cAs you know, for every two Americans who paid the ultimate price, there was one soldier from another NATO country who did not come back to his family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A retired U.S. admiral who led troops on the frontlines in Afghanistan also rejected Trump\u2019s claim. James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO from 2009 to 2013, said hundreds of allied troops were killed while serving under his command. \u201cI honor their memory every single day,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/stavridisj\/status\/2014720765841584434?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/x.com\/stavridisj\/status\/2014720765841584434?s=20\">he noted.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other side of the Atlantic, international leaders said Trump\u2019s remarks appeared to dismiss two decades of allied sacrifice by soldiers who fought and died alongside American forces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Keir_Starmer\/status\/2014755885826895898?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Keir_Starmer\/status\/2014755885826895898?s=20\">Friday video message<\/a>, called on Trump to apologize for what he described as \u201cinsulting and frankly, appalling\u201d comments. He added: \u201cI\u2019m not surprised they\u2019ve caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured and, in fact, across the country.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Poland\u2019s Prime Minister Donald Tusk <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/donaldtusk\/status\/2014758253490475193?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/x.com\/donaldtusk\/status\/2014758253490475193?s=20\">weighed in on the furor<\/a> by pointing to a farewell ceremony he took part in on Dec. 22, 2011 to honor five fallen Polish soldiers in Afghanistan. Rebuking Trump, he said, \u201cThe American officers who accompanied me then told me that America would never forget the Polish heroes. Perhaps they will remind President Trump of that fact.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the sacrifice made by French soldiers in Afghanistan <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CaVautrin\/status\/2014679749184889157?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CaVautrin\/status\/2014679749184889157?s=20\">\u201ccommands respect,\u201d<\/a> France\u2019s Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin asserted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The White House on Friday stood by Trump\u2019s characterization of NATO, emphasizing the disparities within the transatlantic alliance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPresident Trump is right \u2014 America\u2019s contributions to NATO dwarf that of other countries,\u201d White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement to Military Times, without addressing the NATO death toll in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHis success in delivering a five percent spending pledge from NATO allies is helping Europe take greater responsibility for its own defense,\u201d she continued. \u201cThe United States is the only NATO partner who can protect Greenland, and the President is advancing NATO interests in doing so.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The White House on Friday stood by Trump\u2019s characterization of NATO, emphasizing the disparities within the transatlantic alliance. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":110472,"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":[]},"categories":[160,36,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3488],"class_list":["post-48282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters","category-pentagon"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"LMIILZ6DO5CQRGBIABVLOEWROM","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/","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>Trump remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan spark global indignation - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The White House on Friday stood by Trump\u2019s characterization of NATO, emphasizing the disparities within the transatlantic alliance.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan spark global indignation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The White House on Friday stood by Trump\u2019s characterization of NATO, emphasizing the disparities within the transatlantic alliance.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-23T22:23:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T17:08:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tanya Noury\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tanya Noury\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 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\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/\"\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\": \"Trump remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan spark global indignation\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-01-23T22:23:51+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T17:08:59+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 602,\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\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP26022375493417.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\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\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Trump remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan spark global indignation - 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\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP26022375493417.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-01-23T22:23:51+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T17:08:59+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The White House on Friday stood by Trump\u2019s characterization of NATO, emphasizing the disparities within the transatlantic alliance.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/#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\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/\"\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\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP26022375493417.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP26022375493417.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\\\/#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\": \"Trump remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan spark global indignation\"\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":"Trump remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan spark global indignation - Defense News","description":"The White House on Friday stood by Trump\u2019s characterization of NATO, emphasizing the disparities within the transatlantic alliance.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Trump remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan spark global indignation","og_description":"The White House on Friday stood by Trump\u2019s characterization of NATO, emphasizing the disparities within the transatlantic alliance.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2026-01-23T22:23:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T17:08:59+00:00","author":"Tanya Noury","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tanya Noury","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Trump remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan spark global indignation","datePublished":"2026-01-23T22:23:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T17:08:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/"},"wordCount":602,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26022375493417.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Newsletters","Pentagon"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/","name":"Trump remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan spark global indignation - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26022375493417.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-23T22:23:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T17:08:59+00:00","description":"The White House on Friday stood by Trump\u2019s characterization of NATO, emphasizing the disparities within the transatlantic alliance.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26022375493417.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26022375493417.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-remarks-on-nato-troops-in-afghanistan-spark-global-indignation\/#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":"Trump remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan spark global indignation"}]},{"@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_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26022375493417.jpg.jpg","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,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48282","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=48282"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48283,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48282\/revisions\/48283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48282"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=48282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}