NATO joins exercises off US coast, even as it loses political fight in Trump's Washington

OFF THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA, June 30 - The warning came booming over the airwaves, in a voice unmistakably from the American south: "Warship! Get out of our waters!"

Norwegian Lieutenant Thomas Johannsen and his sailors were preparing for a simulated boarding operation -- a core mission for their NATO maritime unit. But with so many other war games happening in the area, the crew was picking up unrelated chatter from a nearby vessel.

Johannsen pivoted to a clear frequency before addressing the cargo ship in his sights. "Please stop your vessel and accept my boarding team," he commanded.

Reuters gained exclusive access to the NATO exercise on Friday, one in a series of U.S.-hosted drills focused on defending the American homeland – and timed to coincide with the country’s 250th anniversary.

They were conducted at a perilous moment for NATO, with the Trump administration questioning the value of the 77-year-old alliance, reviewing its force posture in Europe and lashing out at long-time allies.

In an Oval Office meeting last week with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, President Donald Trump admonished Britain, Spain, Germany and France for not doing more to support the U.S. war in Iran.

David Cattler, a former NATO intelligence chief during Trump’s first term, said the drills send a potent message about the ability and willingness of European nations to defend both sides of the Atlantic. Yet he doubted it would change minds at the Pentagon.

Trump has long believed the U.S. shoulders too much of the cost for European security, upsetting many decades of bipartisan support for NATO in Washington.

In an address at NATO headquarters in mid-June, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a six-month Pentagon review that could lead to a drawdown of U.S. forces in Europe. He scorned "free riding" allies and said the alliance had to be a two-way street.

The conflict in Iran has sharpened tensions further. An internal Pentagon email reported by Reuters in April floated suspending Spain from the alliance over its refusal to grant basing and overflight rights to the U.S. military during operations against Tehran.

But Spanish Marines joined the FLEETEX 250 exercises, carrying out ship-to-shore amphibious operations. French Marines also took part in drills, including on heavy machine guns, at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

The U.S. military's working-level embrace of allies is a sign that operational ties remain strong, experts say, transcending the political turbulence.

Drills like these are planned months or even years ahead of ti