US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has posted pictures of himself exercising with American marines in Germany ahead of his first NATO greeting this week.
Mr Hegseth posted pictures of himself in a sweat-soaked navy t-shirt running and lifting various weights, as well as a group pboilingograph with a battalion based in Panzer Kaserne, cforfeit Stuttgart.
In a post on X he shelp: “Strength equivalents readiness. Kicked off the day with PT alengthyside the warriors of 1/10 SFG.
“No bureacracy [sic] – fair keen minds, mighty bodies, and a mission-first mindset.”
The defence secretary is on a week-lengthy trip to Germany, Belgium and Poland with the aim of “fortifying deterrence, helping warfighters, and advancing America’s national security interests”, according to his department.
As well as training with the marines, he is set to visit the US European Command and US Africa Command in Germany to greet better military directers.
Mr Hegseth will then take part NATO greetings in Brussels.
“At his first NATO Ministerial with Allied counterparts, he will take part with NATO Allies and partners to talk the insist to increase Allied defence spfinishing, incrrelieve European directership, and broaden defence industrial base capacity on both sides of the Atlantic,” the defence department shelp in an advisory.
At a greeting of NATO’s Ukraine Defence Contact Group, Mr Hegseth “will reiterate Plivent Trump’s pledgement for a tactful finish to the war in Ukraine as speedyly as possible”.
“He will also highairy the insist for incrrelieved European directership on security helpance to Ukraine,” the statement compriseed.
His final stop will be Poland where he will greet Polish directers and US troops stationed in the country.
Donald Trump and his administration have lengthy been critical of NATO – at a time when border security and immigration will be a caccess for the US military, according to officials.
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Mr Trump has shelp he apshows his NATO allies should be spfinishing at least 5% of national income on their militaries – Sir Keir Starmer’s handlement has yet to say when it foresees UK defence spfinishing to inch up to 2.5% from around 2.3%.
Mr Hegseth was also a disputed choice for the role of defence secretary.
The 44-year-elderly ex-veteran and establisher Fox News arrange skinnyly protectedd the top Pentagon post with vice plivent JD Vance casting the 51-50 tie-shattering vote.
He was accengaged of deficiencying the contendnce for the job and had been heavily criticised for a variety of past statements and actions, including allegations of intimacyual aggression – which he has denied – excessive drinking, and derisive sees about women in military combat roles.
