US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday appeared to minimize the contributions of America’s NATO allies during the war in Afghanistan. His comments echoed a recurring message from the White House and President Donald Trump: that NATO member nations must bolster their defense spending to meet alliance commitments.

Speaking before the US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Hegseth recalled a remark often made by U.S. troops during his own service in Afghanistan. Referring to the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) patch worn by coalition soldiers, he said it was jokingly interpreted by many U.S. soldiers as “I saw Americans fighting.”

“Ultimately it was a lotta flags. Lotta flags. [But it] was not a lot of on-the-ground capability,” Hegseth continued in disparaging the NATO troops. “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.”

His comments sparked immediate criticism from Senator Chris Coons, who pointed to the significant sacrifices made by NATO allies after 9/11, when the alliance invoked Article 5 for the first time. Coons emphasized that countries like Denmark, despite their small populations, endured high per-capita casualties — second only to the U.S.

“Let’s just make clear for the record that our military partners in Afghanistan included many who served and died,” Coons said.

Hegseth pushed back, saying his remarks weren’t meant to disregard those sacrifices.

“Don’t try and make it look like I don’t care about the investments of our partners,” said the secretary. “Of course I do. I recognize that there were lives lost from other countries. But the bulk of the effort was Americans.”

Over the two-decade war in Afghanistan, 31 other countries joined the U.S.-led effort. The U.S. suffered 2,461 military deaths, with the UK next highest at 457. Other NATO allies also lost personnel in combat and non-combat incidents.