WASHINGTON, D.C. – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to make light of the sacrifices made by NATO allies during the war in Afghanistan during a Capitol Hill hearing on Wednesday.
Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hegseth repeated a common stance held by the Trump administration: that NATO members must boost their defense capabilities to meet targets outlined in the alliance’s charter.
But instead of focusing solely on spending, Hegseth turned to a remark he said he often heard from U.S. troops while serving in Afghanistan. He told Sen. Chris Coons (D-Conn.) that some service members joked that the ISAF patch — which stood for International Security Assistance Force — really meant, “I saw Americans fighting.”
“Ultimately, it was a lot of flags,” Hegseth said, referring to the coalition of nations. “But not a lot of on-the-ground capability. You’re not a real coalition, you’re not a real alliance, unless you have real defense capability and real armies that can bring those to bear.”
Sen. Coons pushed back quickly. He reminded the committee of the many lives lost by America’s allies after the 9/11 attacks. That event marked the first and only time NATO’s Article 5 was invoked, requiring collective defense.
Coons specifically highlighted Denmark, a small country with a population of six million, which suffered some of the highest casualty rates per capita among coalition forces — second only to the United States.
“Let’s be clear for the record: our military partners in Afghanistan included many who served and died,” Coons said.
Hegseth responded sharply. “Don’t try and make it look like I don’t care about the investments of our partners,” he said. “Of course I do. I recognize that there were lives lost from other countries. But the bulk of the effort was Americans.”
The U.S. was joined by 31 other countries during the war in Afghanistan. Troops from those nations died in combat and from other causes throughout the 20-year conflict. The U.S. lost 2,461 service members, while the United Kingdom lost 457 — the second-highest number among allied forces.
The final deaths occurred during the chaotic withdrawal in 2021, as Taliban forces rapidly retook control. A suicide bombing, attributed to Islamic State militants, killed more than a dozen U.S. troops outside Kabul’s airport. At the same time, thousands of Afghans crowded the area, hoping to board evacuation flights.
Public support for the war had declined sharply in the U.S. by that time. Former President Donald Trump ordered the initial drawdown of American forces. President Joe Biden completed the withdrawal. The swift collapse of Afghanistan’s government and the Taliban’s return to power sparked anger in Washington, especially among defense hawks who feared the country would once again become a base for terror groups like al Qaeda and ISIS.
According to a report from the UK’s House of Commons library, Britain’s contribution to the war cost over £32.8 billion, adjusted to 2024–25 prices. In addition, the UK and other allies resettled tens of thousands of Afghan refugees.
In the years following the withdrawal, Afghan nationals were the most common group accepted by the UK’s Home Office for resettlement, according to official government data.
Meanwhile, in early 2021, the Trump administration froze a key program that had allowed Afghan allies who supported the U.S. military — such as interpreters and logistical staff — to resettle in America.
