▲ U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby speaks during an event celebrating the Korean National Day and Armed Forces Day in Washington on Nov. 14, 2025. (Yonhap)

Colby-NATO

Colby promotes 'NATO 3.0' vision stressing allies' burden-sharing, increased defense spending

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 (Yonhap) -- The Pentagon's policy chief on Friday renewed calls for a new version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that stresses allies' efforts to increase defense spending and take greater security responsibilities so as to adapt to "new" geopolitical realities.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby reiterated Washington's pursuit of "NATO 3.0" in social media posts, as he recapped his trip to Brussels this week, during which he attended the NATO defense ministerial talks on behalf of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

His remarks came as Seoul and Washington are working on "modernizing" the bilateral alliance -- an effort likely to see South Korea undertake "primary" responsibilities to deter North Korea at a time when President Donald Trump's administration seeks to focus on defending the U.S. homeland and the Western Hemisphere, and deterring China.

"At the Defense Ministers meeting, I delivered remarks on the changing security environment and how NATO must return to its founding vision: allied burden-sharing through well-resourced and capable European militaries, rather than the post-Cold War model," he wrote on X, stressing NATO is "a partnership, not a dependency."

"We call this vision 'NATO 3.0,'" he added.

Colby said that NATO 1.0 during the Cold War was an "alliance of strong, self-sufficient nations carrying their own weight," while NATO 2.0 following the Cold War "overly relied on the U.S. and became distracted from its core purpose."

"In this era of great power competition, NATO must adapt to new realities," he said.

"NATO 3.0 will be a strong and durable alliance. Last year's Hague Summit spending commitment matches the present security environment and America's commitments outside of Europe. The War Department is committed to helping our Allies step up and strengthen their militaries."

He was referring to the NATO summit in June where its members committed to spending at least 3.5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) annually on core defense expenditures by 2035, and up to 1.5 percent of GDP on other defense-linked areas.

"NATO's historic commitment last year to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense has put the alliance on a stronger and more durable path," he said.

South Korea has also committed to increasing its defense spending to 3.5 percent of its GDP -- a pledge that has led Colby to call the Asian country a "model ally."

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