NATO 3.0 Meeting in Poland Excludes UK and France from New Defense Tier

A selective meeting of specific NATO members has highlighted the emergence of a “NATO 3.0” doctrine, a strategic model designed to shift the primary responsibility for conventional defense in Europe from the United States to a select group of regional allies. The meeting, part of the “Bergen Group” format, includes invited participants from Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, alongside the host, Poland.

The NATO 3.0 model represents a transition from traditional burden-sharing to a “burden-shifting” framework. Under this concept, the United States would drawdown its conventional assets in Europe—potentially including submarines and bomber fleets—while maintaining its nuclear umbrella and specialized capabilities. The responsibility for maintaining front-line conventional forces and deterrence would fall increasingly on European nations, particularly those within the Bergen Group who have demonstrated a high level of alignment with U.S. strategic priorities.

The includes specific regional allies such as , Germany, and the Nordic nations.

The Bergen Group has previously held sessions in Norway and at NATO headquarters in Brussels. This selective format, however, has drawn sharp criticism from some defense analysts. Fabrice Pothier, a senior fellow at Rasmussen Global, described the exclusive meeting structure as “toxic” for an alliance that is fundamentally based on collective action and consensus. The format has raised concerns about a potential schism within the alliance, as it creates a tiered system of membership that differentiates between a core working group and other allies.

Tensions regarding the new doctrine are further exacerbated by reported U.S. efforts to categorize allies based on defense commitments. According to reporting from Politico, the U.S. administration has gauged allies using a “naughty and nice” list tied to a new 5% of GDP defense spending target. This benchmark significantly exceeds the current 2% target established at the 2014 Wales Summit, creating a high threshold for inclusion in the “NATO 3.0” inner circle.

The shift toward this new model is largely driven by a U.S. desire to pivot resources toward the Indo-Pacific theater. By establishing the Bergen Group as a primary European security pillar, the U.S. aims to ensure that conventional defense remains robust without requiring the same level of American troop and asset presence that has characterized the alliance for decades. This realignment forces European capitals to choose between significantly increased defense spending or a reduction in the direct U.S. security guarantee for conventional conflict.

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