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Welcome back to Foreign Policy<\/em>\u2019s Situation Report. It\u2019s been an eventful week in Washington, between a shooting at the White House correspondents\u2019 dinner and a visit from King Charles.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no shortage of news to discuss, so here\u2019s what\u2019s on tap for the day: A European<\/strong> view on U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s Hormuz showdown<\/strong>, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth<\/strong>\u2019s heated appearances on Capitol Hill<\/strong>, and Kid Rock<\/strong>\u2019s U.S. Army helicopter joyride<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Welcome back to Foreign Policy<\/em>\u2019s Situation Report. It\u2019s been an eventful week in Washington, between a shooting at the White House correspondents\u2019 dinner and a visit from King Charles.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no shortage of news to discuss, so here\u2019s what\u2019s on tap for the day: A European<\/strong> view on U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s Hormuz showdown<\/strong>, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth<\/strong>\u2019s heated appearances on Capitol Hill<\/strong>, and Kid Rock<\/strong>\u2019s U.S. Army helicopter joyride<\/strong>.<\/p>\n One of the most prominent side narratives of the U.S. war with Iran has been U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s ire at NATO\u2019s European members for their perceived lack of support for the war effort. In the past month, Trump has slammed the trans-Atlantic alliance as a \u201cpaper tiger<\/a>\u201d and mused (again) about pulling the United States out of it; his administration is reportedly weighing punitive measures against individual members, including suspending Spain (which there is currently no NATO mechanism for).<\/p>\n Some of those European countries are now preparing to get involved by readying a joint naval force to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, but they will only do so once a \u201cstable cease-fire\u201d has been achieved, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken told SitRep in Washington on Wednesday. \u201cWe\u2019re not going in when the ballistic missiles are going up and down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Francken was in town to meet with senior Pentagon officials including U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Belgian official had some positive updates to share with them: A new report<\/a> from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute this week found that Belgium\u2019s defense spending in 2025 went up by 59 percent compared to 2024, the highest percentage increase of all European countries.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what they want,\u201d Francken said, referring to the Trump administration\u2019s repeated demands that European countries ramp up their defense spending and take responsibility for their own security. \u201cSo, when we can show that we\u2019re really having concrete results, then it\u2019s very positive. It was a positive atmosphere. There was no hostility,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The same could not be said for the atmosphere on Capitol Hill this week, where Hegseth spent Wednesday and Thursday being grilled by lawmakers from both parties who are increasingly exasperated by his performance and concerned about his sudden firing of senior military leaders. SitRep was keen to get Francken\u2019s read on Hegseth\u2019s performance, but he refused to get drawn into what he described as the United States and Hegseth\u2019s \u201cinternal affairs.\u201d which he said did not come up in their meeting. \u201cI don\u2019t want him to mingle in mine, so I will not mingle in his,\u201d Francken said.<\/p>\n What did come up was Belgium\u2019s expertise in demining and its willingness to help clear any potential undersea mines from Hormuz when the time comes. The European country is not only home to the headquarters of both NATO and the European Union in Brussels, but it also hosts a NATO Center of Excellence on naval mine warfare in Oostende. Next week, Francken is planning to visit the headquarters of a Belgian company that makes demining drones for NATO with a group of ambassadors and defense attach\u00e9s from the Arab Gulf countries. \u201cThat\u2019s a niche, but it\u2019s a niche where we\u2019re really strong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But the main focus for Belgium, NATO, and Europe\u2014and the primary emphasis of the continent\u2019s military buildup\u2014remains on the far longer-running war between Ukraine and Russia. On that front, too, Francken said he sees positive signs, pointing out the diminished nature of Moscow\u2019s upcoming military parade next month. \u201cFor the first time in the military parade in Moscow in two weeks, there won\u2019t be tanks. There won\u2019t be armored vehicles. The explanation of Moscow is that it\u2019s because they\u2019re all engaged in the war,\u201d he said. \u201cThe writing is on the wall. I think they are in a bad position.\u201d<\/p>\n FP Insiders can read Rishi\u2019s full conversation with Francken <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The Department of Defense last Thursday fired Jacqueline Smith, the ombudsman for the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes<\/em>, who is charged by Congress to protect the publication\u2019s editorial independence. Smith believes she was fired over her criticism of the Pentagon\u2019s move to, in the words<\/a> of Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell, \u201crefocus\u201d the newspaper \u201caway from woke distractions.\u201d \u201cI knew there would be perils for speaking out against Pentagon attempts to control the news, but I expected some communication or questions or warning first,\u201d Smith wrote in an op-ed<\/a> for Stars and Stripes<\/em>. Asked for comment, a Defense Department official would only tell SitRep that Smith \u201chas been relieved of her duties.\u201d<\/p>\n Julie Davis, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, is reportedly<\/a> leaving the State Department over frustration with Trump\u2019s lack of support for Kyiv in its war against Russia. Notably, Davis\u2019s predecessor, Bridget Brink, left for similar reasons. The State Department denied that Davis is leaving over disagreements with Trump, however, and said<\/a> she \u201cwill continue to proudly advance President Trump\u2019s policies until she officially departs Kyiv in June 2026 and retires from the Department.\u201d<\/p>\n What should be high on your radar, if it isn\u2019t already.<\/em><\/p>\n Trump vs. Merz.<\/strong> It\u2019s no secret that Trump has been angry with many European allies for refusing to join the war with Iran, but he\u2019s particularly irate with Germany this week after critical comments made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Merz on Monday said that the United States is being \u201chumiliated\u201d by Tehran in negotiations as the stalemated conflict continues to wreak havoc on global energy markets<\/a>. Trump has responded by threatening<\/a> to pull some U.S. troops from Germany, and on Thursday, he attacked Merz in a post on Truth Social.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia\/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!), and fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat, thereby making the World, including Germany, a safer place!\u201d Trump wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hegseth on the Hill.<\/strong> As we noted above, Hegseth faced sharp criticism from Democrats this week as he testified before Congress for the first time since the war in Iran began. His testimony came amid growing allegations that he has sought to mislead the public on the war and increasing signs that even some Republicans on the Hill are losing faith in him. Our FP colleague Rachel Oswald wrote about the grilling Hegseth faced. Read her piece here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hegseth\u2019s testimony also came as the Iran war moves toward the 60-day mark on Friday. Under the 1973 War Powers Act, presidents must remove U.S. forces from unauthorized hostilities after 60 days. Hegseth on Thursday told senators that the 60-day clock pauses during a cease-fire, but Democrats expressed doubts about this interpretation of the law. Rachel also recently wrote an excellent piece<\/a> on the War Powers Act and the 60-day deadline, which we highly recommend reading.<\/p>\n