The Hill News

Outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates used his final policy speech to take a shot at the U.S.' European allies, warning them NATO could become military irrelevant unless they boost their financial support for the organization.

Speaking Friday at a European think tank in Brussels, Belgium -- the home of NATO's headquarters -- Gates warned of the "very real possibility of collective military irrelevance" of NATO.

He said nations in the transatlantic alliance have to consider new approaches to sustaining the organization, adding that he's held these concerns for some time.

"In the past, I’ve worried openly about NATO turning into a two-tiered alliance: Between members who specialize in 'soft' humanitarian, development, peacekeeping, and talking tasks, and those conducting the 'hard' combat missions," Gates said. "Between those willing and able to pay the price and bear the burdens of alliance commitments, and those who enjoy the benefits ! of NATO membership â€" be they security guarantees or headquarters billets â€" but don’t want to share the risks and the costs. This is no longer a hypothetical worry. We are there today. And it is unacceptable."

Gates said that when the U.S. handed NATO the command of the Libya mission, the organization's shortcomings in terms of both manpower and "crucial support assets" like aircraft, "maintenance, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance" became apparent.

"Turning to the NATO operation over Libya, it has become painfully clear that similar shortcomings â€" in capability and will â€"have the potential to jeopardize the alliance’s ability to conduct an integrated, effective and sustained air-sea campaign," Gates said.

He noted he's not the first defense secretary to raise such concerns. In the past U.S. officials and lawmakers have questioned if NATO was functioning as best it could but few have been as blunt as Gates was in his ! speech.

"I am the latest in a string of U.S. defens! e secret aries who have urged allies privately and publicly, often with exasperation, to meet agreed-upon NATO benchmarks for defense spending," Gates said. "However, fiscal, political and demographic realities make this unlikely to happen anytime soon, as even military stalwarts like the U.K have been forced to ratchet back with major cuts to force structure."

Gates concluded his speech with a call for NATO's member nations to do a better job of pooling "military assets."

"Ultimately, nations must be responsible for their fair share of the common defense," he said.

Gates' comments come a few months after President Obama announced that the U.S. would lead a U.N. sanctioned effort to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. The U.S. eventually handed over command of the mission to NATO.

Gates is likely to be succeeded by CIA Director Leon Panetta, who had his confirmations hearings in the Senate on Thursday.