LONDON (AP) 鈥 As wake-up calls go, the alarms don鈥檛 get much louder.
Allies of the United States see the group chat between top U.S. officials in Yemen that accidentally included a journalist as a jaw-dropping security breach which casts doubt on intelligence-sharing with Washington and the security of joint military operations.
鈥淪cary鈥 and 鈥渞eckless鈥 was the verdict of one European diplomat about the discussion on the Signal messaging app about strikes on . Neil Melvin, a security expert at defense think tank the Royal United Services Institute, called it 鈥減retty shocking.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 some of the most high-ranking U.S. officials seeming to display a complete disregard for the normal security protocols,鈥 he said.
Beyond the security concerns raised by the leaked chat, U.S. officials addressed the country’s trans-Atlantic allies with disdain as Vice President JD Vance complained about 鈥渂ailing out鈥 Europe and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed 鈥減athetic鈥 European 鈥渇reeloading.鈥
The criticism is another blow to a long-standing relationship already strained by President Donald Trump鈥檚 blunt 鈥淎merica First鈥 approach and disregard for friendly nations.
Melvin said that for America鈥檚 allies, 鈥渢he alarm clock鈥檚 been ringing for a long time.鈥
In public, however, European officials insisted all was well in the trans-Atlantic relationship.
鈥淲e have a very close relationship with the U.S. on matters of security, defense and intelligence,鈥 said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer鈥檚 spokesman, Dave Pares. 鈥淭hey are our closest ally when it comes to these matters, have been for many years and will be for many years to come.鈥
France鈥檚 Foreign Ministry said 鈥渢he United States is our ally, and France intends to continue its cooperation with Washington, as well as with all its allies and European partners, in order to address current challenges 鈥 particularly in the area of European security.鈥
A growing divide
Since taking office, the Trump administration has halted government funding for that support democratic principles around the world and presented a less welcoming face to visitors.
U.S. embassies in at least 17 countries have for would-be travelers that engaging in behavior deemed harmful by the government could get them deported. Several European countries have issued warnings about visiting the United States after international tourists were caught up in Trump鈥檚 border crackdown.
Trump has appalled allies with his repeatedly stated aim of taking over 鈥 an autonomous Danish territory that Vance and are due to visit this week 鈥 and his desire to make the 51st state.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country has to 鈥渢ake greater ownership鈥 of its own defense in the face of threats: 鈥淲e have to look out for ourselves.鈥
Nathalie Loiseau, a member of the European parliament, told the BBC that she was 鈥渇labbergasted鈥 by the breach.
鈥淚f I was (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, I would feel jobless. Russia has nothing more to do. 鈥 You don鈥檛 even need to spy on the U.S. administration. They leak by themselves,鈥 she said.
U.S. reliability questioned
The European diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, suggested the security breach could make allies question the reliability of the U.S. as a partner.
The diplomat expressed hope that the Signal lapse was due to a lack of experience in government rather than a deliberate disregard for security.
Asked if he had concerns about sharing intelligence with the U.S. after the Signal incident, Carney said 鈥渋t鈥檚 a serious, serious issue and all lessons must be taken.鈥 He said it would be important to see “how people react to those mistakes and how they tighten them up.鈥
Britain could be particularly exposed by U.S. security breaches. Its intelligence network is entwined with the U.S. in the Five Eyes alliance, and the countries鈥 militaries work more closely than those of almost any other nations.
Britain’s Royal Air Force provided air-to-air refueling for U.S. planes during the strike on the Houthis, but U.K. Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard insisted British personnel had not been put at risk by the breach.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got high confidence that the measures that we have got with our allies, including the United States, remain intact,鈥 he told lawmakers.
Ed Davey, the leader of Britain鈥檚 opposition Liberal Democrats, said the lapse showed the Trump administration can’t be trusted to protect its own intelligence and “it could only be a matter of time until our own intelligence shared with them is also leaked.鈥
鈥淭his could put British lives at risk,” he said.
Alex Clarkson, a lecturer in European and international studies at King鈥檚 College London, said 鈥渢he professionals and old hands鈥 who 鈥渃ontained the damage鈥 during Trump鈥檚 first term are largely gone.
鈥淪o what we鈥檙e having now is 鈥 a manifestation of tendencies that were held in check that we already saw in the first round,鈥 he said.
American frustration
The U.S. has underpinned European security since World War II, and Trump is not the first president to bristle at the burden.
鈥淔rom the Obama administration (onward), there鈥檚 been quite some frustrations in the U.S. security apparatus about the failure of the Europeans 鈥 to step up,鈥 Melvin said.
Trump has gone much further than his predecessors in upending the decades-old security arrangements. He has long contended the U.S. needs to completely rethink its relationship with the rest of the world, saying other countries have been 鈥渢aking advantage鈥 of the nation鈥檚 military might by not paying enough for their own defense.
Trump has praised autocrats including Putin and sent chills through NATO during last year鈥檚 election campaign with his comment that Russia should 鈥渄o whatever the hell it wants鈥 to members that don鈥檛 meet military spending targets.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a real sense of divorce, that America is not just disinterested in the trans-Atlantic alliance but views Europe fundamentally as an adversary,鈥 said Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who now works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very clear at this point, abundantly clear, that it will be next to impossible to count on the United States for the cause of defending democracy in the world,鈥 said Kevin Casas-Zamora, secretary-general of the pro-democracy group International IDEA.
NATO leaders point out that Trump鈥檚 criticism and the war in Ukraine have led to a majority of member states meeting the target of spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense.
Trump鈥檚 reelection and rapprochement with Putin has hastened European military plans, with nations scrambling to ramp up weapons production and create their own security structures 鈥 including a U.K.- and France-led 鈥渃oalition of the willing鈥 to help guarantee a future ceasefire in Ukraine.
Clarkson said Europe has more strength than many give it credit for, and severing the trans-Atlantic bond would hurt the U.S., too.
鈥淥ne shouldn鈥檛 underestimate European military industrial capacity,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here are all kinds of things that can go wrong 鈥 but there is an element here also that the Americans are awakening a sleeping giant.鈥
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Riccardi reported from Denver. Associated Press writers Ali Swenson in New York, Chris Megerian in Washington. John Leicester in Paris and Rob Gillies in 海角社区官网contributed.
