Pentagon policy chief's rogue decisions have irked US allies and the Trump administration
The British team on the other side of the table 'were just shocked,' the first person added. 'He was basically saying 'you have no business being in the Indo-Pacific.''
Colby has also irked allies by pushing them too hard to boost defense spending — or telling them to simply get out of America's way. 'DOD has been telling a European partner that we don't need the Europeans to be doing anything [in the Indo-Pacific],' said one U.S. official familiar with the conversations.
In the spring, Japanese officials believed the Trump administration might push them for a modest increase in defense spending. Initially, Colby publicly called on Japan to spend ' at least 3 percent of GDP on defense as soon as possible,' which angered Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. But that number soon increased to a much steeper target of 5 percent , which reportedly contributed to the collapse of plans for a high-level meeting between Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their Japanese counterparts.'The Japanese were very frustrated,' said a person familiar with the talks. 'They thought that they were agreeing to at least negotiate on the basis of 3 or 3.5 percent. Then Colby, all of a sudden, got DOD to say 5, and the Japanese got angry, because that's not what they just agreed to.'
The incident caused heartburn within Japan's ruling party, with officials worried about triggering a domestic political backlash ahead of a sensitive election, the person added.
The hawkish wing of the Republican Party has expressed concerns that Colby's 'shoot first and ask questions later' approach is sapping Trump's foreign policy of its strength at a key moment.
'The president's leadership at NATO and his decision to strike Iran gave Russia and China good reason to fear America's resolve,' said a senior GOP aide. 'But Colby has just undercut the president and squandered his boss' leverage.'
The AUKUS review surprised some State Department officials who dealt directly with the pact. The department's immediate guidance on how to respond to media questions about the topic appeared to underscore the lack of coordination, a State Department official said. The instructions told diplomats to say to reporters: 'We are not aware of a review of the AUKUS agreement. The secretary of Defense has not requested a review of the agreement from the secretary of State.'
'The way that one person from State put it to me is: 'Who is this fucking guy?'' said a former U.S. official familiar with the policy discussions.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce praised Colby's leadership. 'The world is changing rapidly and Elbridge understands the moment. His innovative leadership is critical to addressing the challenges head-on and helping to deliver on President Trump's America First agenda.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
16 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
The Economic Drain of Mass Deportation
President Trump is voiding work authorizations for hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti and other troubled places, and on Monday he ended temporary protected status, or TPS, for thousands of Hondurans and Nicaraguans. A day later Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins pledged no compromise on mass deportation and 'a 100% American workforce.' Does the White House really mean that, or is it another fusillade of rhetorical deterrence? Sometimes Mr. Trump talks about giving farms and hotels a deportation pass, given how much they rely on immigrant labor. By the way, these Hondurans and Nicaraguans were originally granted TPS after Hurricane Mitch tore through Central America in 1998. It's reasonable to ask what's so 'temporary' about this protection. On the other hand, if people have lived and worked in the U.S. under TPS for 30 years, what's to be gained by kicking them out?
Wall Street Journal
16 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
France, U.K. Suggest Nuclear Protection Could Extend to European Allies
LONDON—France and the U.K., Western Europe's two nuclear powers, said on Wednesday that they will now coordinate the use of their nuclear weapons and respond to any major threat to Europe together, a step seen as an effort to reassure European allies who are nervous about Washington's commitment to the continent's security. The move, announced during a state visit to the U.K. by French President Emmanuel Macron, appears to offer both countries' nuclear weapons as a deterrent for all of Europe while establishing greater independence from any safety net provided by the U.S.'s much larger arsenal.
Politico
17 minutes ago
- Politico
Trump threatens to slap Brazil with 50 percent tariffs over treatment of Bolsonaro, other disagreements
And it echoes a social media post Trump shared earlier this week, accusing the country of unfairly treating Bolsonaro, who is on trial over allegations related to his role in 2022 riots in the capital of Brasilia, when his supporters stormed government buildings to protest his election loss. The overtly political tone of the letter is a break with more than a dozen other letters Trump has sent to foreign governments this week, threatening to impose new tariff rates on their exports to the U.S. beginning Aug. 1. But it's in line with Trump's belief that tariffs are about more than just trade, and can be used as leverage to pressure countries to cave on any number of different issues, from immigration to defense spending. The letter is the first addressed to a South American country. The Trump administration's trade negotiations have focused more heavily on major trading partners in Asia and Europe. Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil in 2018 after emulating Trump's political playbook, but lost his reelection bid in 2022 and alleged, similar to Trump in 2020, that it was rigged against him. He has been under criminal investigation for conspiring to overturn the results, which culminated in a violent insurrection attack against government buildings in the nation's capital of Brasilia that mirrored the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol. Trump, in is letter to da Silva, declared the investigation 'a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY.' Yet Bolsonaro enjoys strong popularity among his growing base of evangelical voters in the South American country and he and his allies have maintained warm ties with Trump's orbit. Bolsonaro's son, Eduardo, has become a full-time lobbyist for his father's cause, meeting regularly with influential members of Congress and pushing the U.S. to pressure the Brazilian government to release his father. It is expected that the elder Bolsonaro will try and stage a political comeback in the face of Lula da Silva's sagging approval ratings and exploding crime in the country's major cities. The administration has also taken issue with Brazil's engagement with Russia and China as part of the BRICS grouping of nations. Lula da Silva, who was first elected president in the 2000s, has championed a multipolar world and embraced close relations with China, Russia, India and other emerging powers. Lula has also maintained warm ties with the authoritarian governments of Venezuela and Cuba, which have been in the Trump administration's crosshairs. A POLITICO review of Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's public readouts of phone calls and meetings suggests that neither has spoken with their Brazilian counterpart since taking office. Trump also directed U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to open an investigation into Brazil's trading practices, which would give the U.S. authority to retaliate against the country with tariffs. It's the same authority Trump used in 2018 to impose new tariffs on China. Echoing the wording of other letters, Trump wrote 'there will be no Tariff if Brazil, or companies within your Country, decide to build or manufacture products within the United States.' In response to diatribes from the United States, Lula da Silva has called Trump a wannabe 'emperor' and dismissed tariff threats as 'irresponsible.'
