The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has launched this Monday a direct message to the Atlantic alliance by stating that Washington will have to "review" the relationship with NATO once the war in Iran concludes, in response to the refusal of countries like Spain and other allies to allow the use of their military bases and their airspace for U.S. operations.
In an interview with the network Al Jazeera, Rubio stressed that the United States expects reciprocity from its allies. "At a time of need for the United States (…) we have countries like Spain, a NATO member that we are committed to defending, denying us the use of its airspace and boasting about denying us the use of its bases. And there are other countries that have also done that", he declared, pointing to restrictions that hinder the strategic mobility of U.S. troops and equipment.
Bases and logistics, the strategic value of NATO
Rubio has defended the importance of NATO not only for collective defense, but also as a network of "contingency bases", which allows the United States to station troops, planes, and weaponry in Europe as needed.
However, warned that if the alliance is limited to the United States defending Europe while allies deny base rights when they are required, then it would not be a favorable agreement.
"All this we will have to review", he added, suggesting that military cooperation could be reconfigured depending on the attitude of the European partners.