Gates Warns NATO Faces 'Dim' Future

If NATO's 27 other member states don't start carrying their weight, they can expect the U.S. to lose interest in the alliance.

Outgoing Defence Secretary Robert Gates said the North Atlantic Treaty Organization faces a “dim” future if member countries besides the U.S. don't start picking up the slack. Gates used his final address as defence secretary to tell his counterparts at NATO headquarters in Brussels that, without more financial commitment from member states and a coherent strategy in the post-Cold War world, the 62-year-old organization will likely lose the support of the United States, its principal backer. NATO's involvement in Afghanistan has come largely from the U.S., Britain, and Canada, while in Libya, the U.S. has carried much of the military responsibility, even though France pushed for the mission.