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Secretary Hegseth Speaks to the Press Following the NATO Defense Ministerial, Jun. 18, 2026

June 18, 2026 · Department of War · 0:08:24

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke to the press following the NATO Defense Ministerial on June 18, 2026, in a press availability published by the Department of War. The availability closed the Brussels trip on which the Secretary also delivered joint remarks with the NATO Secretary General, paged separately on this site; the department’s channel carried his arrival in Brussels the day before the ministerial.

Why it matters

The post-ministerial availability is where the Secretary states, on the record and in his own words, what the alliance’s defense ministers agreed and what the United States expects next — the burden-sharing file that runs through his NATO appearances from his first Brussels trip in February 2025 forward.

Sources: U.S. Department of War, “Secretary Hegseth speaks to the press following the NATO Defense Ministerial,” June 18, 2026 (official upload, embedded above). No transcript is published with the upload; this page records the event as the department published it.