A Pentagon memo already floated in April using the Falklands as leverage over London

Tuesday, September 1st 2026 - 09:55 UTC An internal Pentagon memo leaked in April already raised the prospect of using a review of the stance on the archipelago as an instrument of diplomatic pressure on alliance partners Senior US Defense Department officials are considering a review of Washington's position on the Falklands as one of several measures to press the United Kingdom to meet the 5% of gross domestic product military spending target agreed at NATO, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported, citing a senior US official. The idea has surfaced before. An internal Pentagon memo leaked in April already raised the prospect of using a review of the stance on the archipelago as an instrument of diplomatic pressure on alliance partners. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described it at the time as a minor internal decision. According to Reuters reporting then, citing an internal email, the proposal formed part of a wider review of US diplomatic support for European “imperial possessions”, conceived as a way to penalise allied governments regarded as insufficiently supportive of the military campaign against Iran. Washington's official position, held for decades, is neutrality on sovereignty over the islands while recognising British administration of the territory. What would be under review is that stance, not a recognition of sovereignty, which the United States has never issued. The United Kingdom has administered the archipelago since 1833 and Argentina maintains a sovereignty claim; in the 2013 referendum, residents voted overwhelmingly to retain their status as a British overseas territory. A senior Pentagon official told the London newspaper last week that Britain would receive “special attention” in the US review of burden-sharing within the alliance, “because it has so much potential”, and that efforts would continue to “incentivise and enable the UK to step up in a major way”. The review examines whether member states have credible paths towards the spending target and includes a questionnaire sent to NATO ambassadors covering arms purchases and support for US foreign policy. Its conclusions will go to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Allies agreed last year to devote 3.5% of GDP to defence and a further 1.5% to security-related infrastructure by 2035. The US administration is pushing what its officials describe as a new phase of the alliance, in which European countries and Canada would take primary responsibility for the conventional defence of the continent while Washington reorients its deployment towards the Indo-Pacific. The British government has repeatedly said the islands' status as a British overseas territory is not open to discussion. Argentine President Javier Milei, whose government maintains a close relationship with the White House, reacted favourably to the prospect of a change in the US position.