US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has posted pictures of himself exercising with American marines in Germany ahead of his first NATO meeting 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 photograph with a battalion based in Panzer Kaserne, near Stuttgart.
In a post on X he said: “Strength equals readiness. Kicked off the day with PT alongside the warriors of 1/10 SFG.
“No bureacracy [sic] – just sharp minds, strong bodies, and a mission-first mindset.”
The defence secretary is on a week-long trip to Germany, Belgium and Poland with the aim of “strengthening deterrence, supporting 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 meet senior military leaders.
Mr Hegseth will then attend NATO meetings in Brussels.
“At his first NATO Ministerial with Allied counterparts, he will engage with NATO Allies and partners to discuss the need to boost Allied defence spending, increase European leadership, and expand defence industrial base capacity on both sides of the Atlantic,” the defence department said in an advisory.
At a meeting of NATO’s Ukraine Defence Contact Group, Mr Hegseth “will reiterate President Trump’s commitment for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible”.
“He will also highlight the need for increased European leadership on security assistance to Ukraine,” the statement added.
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His final stop will be Poland where he will meet Polish leaders and US troops stationed in the country.
Donald Trump and his administration have long been critical of NATO – at a time when border security and immigration will be a focus for the US military, according to officials.
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Mr Trump has said he believes his NATO allies should be spending at least 5% of national income on their militaries – Sir Keir Starmer’s government has yet to say when it expects UK defence spending to inch up to 2.5% from around 2.3%.
Mr Hegseth was also a controversial choice for the role of defence secretary.
The 44-year-old ex-veteran and former Fox News host narrowly secured the top Pentagon post with vice president JD Vance casting the 51-50 tie-breaking vote.
He was accused of lacking the competence for the job and had been heavily criticised for a variety of past statements and actions, including allegations of sexual assault – which he has denied – excessive drinking, and derisive views about women in military combat roles.
