Standing above the graves of US soldiers who died storming the beaches of Normandy, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a stark warning to Europe: he said the continent now faces an “invasion” of what he described as dangerous ideologies arriving by sea.
Speaking in Normandy, Mr Hegseth tied his message to long-running criticisms voiced by President Donald Trump’s administration about Europe — a region Washington argues is constrained by weak defences, an inability to tackle immigration, needless red tape and what it calls “censorship” of far-right and nationalist voices to keep them from power.
“Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different, dangerous ideologies. Beaches in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive,” Mr Hegseth said in a speech at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.
He pressed European leaders to respond, adding: “When will European capitals do something about that invasion or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not,” he said.
Mr Hegseth spoke during commemorations for the 82nd anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, when US and Allied forces crossed the English Channel to begin the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation.
US officials, including Mr Trump — and Vice President JD Vance as recently as yesterday — have repeatedly criticised European countries for what they say is a failure to control immigration.
A US National Security Strategy document issued last year warned Europe faced “civilisational erasure” and must course-correct if it is to remain a reliable US ally.
That document — along with other remarks from senior Trump officials — has challenged post-war assumptions about Europe’s close relationship with its strongest ally, focusing attention in capitals across the continent on the need to diversify away from reliance on US technology and defence.
