US defense secretary in Japan to support alliance as Osprey aircraft safety causes concern

TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with officials in Japan on Tuesday to reaffirm the importance of their alliance and Washington's commitment to regional security as threats rise from China and North Korea.

Austin also stressed that U.S. trilateral cooperation with Tokyo and Seoul is crucial for regional stability even as South Korea is in political turmoil following President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived declaration of martial law last week.

Austin’s visit also came amid growing concerns over the safety of Osprey military aircraft, which have been grounded in the United States following a near crash at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico last month. The incident, caused by weakened metal components, was similar to a fatal crash off southwestern Japan last year.

The U.S. measure prompted Japan to also ground its Ospreys. After confirming details with the U.S. military, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force has suspended operations of its 17 Ospreys, except for possible disaster relief and other missions, beginning Tuesday to prioritize safety, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.

During their meeting, Austin and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba noted the collapse of the Syrian government and praised the strength of the Japan-U.S. alliance at a time of rapid global political change.

“The world can change drastically in a week,” Ishiba told Austin, referring to political unrest in South Korea and Syria.

The U.S. defense chief, whose term ends in January when President-elect Donald Trump takes office, told Ishiba that he appreciated the steady alliance with Japan during “very dynamic times” and that he was proud of the modernization of alliance command and control, strengthening of force posture and deterrence capabilities over the past several years.

Austin later met with Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani and noted China's “coercive behavior” in the East and South China Seas, North Korean support for Russia's war in Ukraine as growing challenges.

Austin underlined U.S. commitment “to advancing our historic trilateral cooperation" with South Korea. Washington's commitment of “extended deterrence,” including its nuclear umbrella, to Japan and South Korea is “iron clad,” he added.

Nakatani earlier told reporters that cooperation between Japan and the U.S., as well as with South Korea and other partners, is important as tensions escalate in the region.

The trilateral partnership between Japan, the U.S. and South Korea has significantly strengthened under President Joe Biden’s administration, but faces new uncertainty amid ongoing political unrest in South Korea, which already led to the cancellation of Austin's planned trip to that country.

Earlier Tuesday, Austin greeted crew members of the USS George Washington, a nuclear-powered flagship aircraft carrier docked at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, near Tokyo.

Austin stressed the importance of U.S. cooperation with allies and partners in the region as he singled out China as the only country in the world with the intent and capability to change the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific, according to the U.S. Defense Department.

“We want to see this region remain open to freedom of navigation and the ability to fly the skies in international airways,” Austin was quoted as saying on the Defense Department's website.

“We will work with allies and partners to ensure we can do just that," he added.

The U.S. carrier, which is under maintenance in Yokosuka, will carry the advanced F-35C stealth combat aircraft squadron currently based in the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Yamaguchi.

This story corrects to say Austin visited Yokosuka on Tuesday not Monday.

Mayuko Ono contributed to this report.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, front center, poses for a group photograph after addressing military personnel from Japan, the United States, and Australia during a visit to Camp Asaka, a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force base, on the outskirts of Tokyo Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrives at Camp Asaka, a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force base, on the outskirts of Tokyo Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, addresses military personnel from Japan, the United States, and Australia during a visit to Camp Asaka, a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force base, on the outskirts of Tokyo Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, left, leaves after addressing military personnel from Japan, the United States, and Australia during a visit to Camp Asaka, a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force base, on the outskirts of Tokyo Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin addresses military personnel from Japan, the United States and Australia during a visit to Camp Asaka, a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force base, on the outskirts of Tokyo Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, left, addresses military personnel from Japan, the United States and Australia during a visit to Camp Asaka, a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force base, on the outskirts of Tokyo Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, center left, is greeted as he arrives at Camp Asaka, a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force base, on the outskirts of Tokyo Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, addresses military personnel from Japan, the United States and Australia during a visit to Camp Asaka, a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force base, on the outskirts of Tokyo Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the start of their bilateral meeting at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.(Issei Kato/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the start of their bilateral meeting at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 10, 2024.(Issei Kato/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, meets with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 10, 2024.(Issei Kato/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, meets with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 10, 2024.(Issei Kato/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the start of their bilateral meeting at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 10, 2024.(Issei Kato/Pool Photo via AP)

FILE - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a joint news conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, at the Foreign Ministry's Iikura guesthouse in Tokyo, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)

FILE - Two Air Force Special Operations Command CV-22B Ospreys fly low and fast in formation on a training range named the Hornet at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Tara Copp, File)

FILE - U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin makes a speech at Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to “wipe Ukraine off the map” and could come after other parts of Europe next, as he urged Europeans to press their governments to ramp up defense spending.

“It is time to shift to a wartime mindset,” Rutte told security experts and analysts at the Carnegie Europe think-tank in Brussels. He said people should gird themselves for the prospect that Russia might try to use “swarms of drones” in Europe as it has to deadly effect in Ukraine.

Putin “is trying to crush our freedom and way of life," Rutte said. The former Dutch prime minister listed Russia’s attacks on Georgia in 2008, the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, and the all-out invasion launched almost three years ago.

“How many more wake-up calls do we need? We should be profoundly concerned. I know I am,” he said. “Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation. With Ukraine, and with us."

Rutte’s inaugural speech came just over two months after he took office as NATO’s top civilian official. He has since toured the capitals of the 32 allies, including a visit to NATO's most important member, the United States to meet with President-elect Donald Trump.

NATO has been a staunch backer of Ukraine and has helped most of its members funnel weapons, ammunition and other support into the country. But Trump’s return, and pledge to end the war quickly, has fueled concern that an unfavorable truce might be forced on Ukraine.

Asked by the Associated Press how damaging a quick and shoddy peace agreement might be, Rutte said that “a bad deal means Putin coming out on top, and that will have worldwide ramifications, not only on Europe and Ukraine.” He insisted that Ukraine must be involved in any peace talks.

Trump routinely complains that U.S. allies in NATO are not spending enough on defense. Rutte said Russia’s military spending is likely to amount to 7 to 8% of its GDP next year -– far more than any NATO ally –- while its defense industry churns out tanks, armored vehicles and ammunition.

Putin also has the support of allies like China, Iran and North Korea.

Rutte noted that defense spending has risen sharply in Europe, with 23 allies expected to reach NATO’s target of putting 2% of GDP into their military budgets. But he added: “I can tell you, we are going to need a lot more than 2%.”

Rutte listed a series of recent “hostile actions” by Russia against NATO allies, including cyber-attacks, assassinations, an explosion at a Czech ammunition depot, the jamming of radars in the Baltic region to disrupt air traffic, and the “weaponization” of migrants to destabilize Europe.

“These attacks are not just isolated incidents. They are the result of a coordinated campaign to destabilize our societies and discourage us from supporting Ukraine,” he said. “They circumvent our deterrence and bring the front line to our front doors.”

Beyond increased defense spending in Europe, Rutte noted that NATO now has tens of thousands of troops on high readiness should they be needed to defend allied territory.

“With all this, our deterrence is good -– for now. But it’s tomorrow I’m worried about,” he said, and warned that “we are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years. Danger is moving towards us at full speed.”

“What is happening in Ukraine could happen here too, and regardless of the outcome of this war, we will not be safe in the future unless we are prepared to deal with danger,” Rutte added.

Rutte appealed to governments to provide the defense industry with “the big orders and long-term contracts they need to rapidly produce more and better capabilities.” He urged the industry to boost production for defenses against drones and other new war tactics.

He added that “freedom does not come for free” to the estimated 1 billion people living in the Euro-Atlantic area.

“If we don’t spend more together now to prevent war, we will pay a much, much, much higher price later to fight it. Not billions, but trillions of euros. That’s if we come out on top, and that’s if we win,” he said.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference at the conclusion of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference at the conclusion of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)