Ex-Special Forces colonel torches Trump for leaving the US exposed

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President Donald Trump attends a ceremony marking the 24th anniversary of 9/11, in Washington D.C., September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstei

Writing in a new piece for The i Paper, a former Special Forces lieutenant colonel warned that President Donald Trump is leaving the U.S. "exposed," creating divisions that "our enemies are looking to exploit."

In addition to his time in Special Forces, Mike Nelson also currently serves as the chief of staff and communications director for the University of Pennsylvania's office in Washington D.C. In his Tuesday piece, he wrote that the U.S. "has grown accustomed to coalition warfare," but it is now jeopardizing its most vital coalition partnerships thanks to "Trump’s petulant anger" over European allies opting not to participate in his war with Iran.

"The President seems furious at the fact that countries did not sign up to fight in a war about which they were not consulted in advance, with undefined goals and an unclear, shifting plan," Nelson argued. "His anger lingers today, evident in his personal feud with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who he had previously counted as one of his closest supporters in Europe. His frustration that countries can make individual choices, rather than respond slavishly to his beck and call, seems exacerbated by his conflation of NATO, the EU and the countries that make them up. The Trump administration appears to view our European allies not as partners, but as client states from whom to extract contributions or satrapies from whom to demand loyalty."

He continued: "If the Trump administration were more aware, it might start worrying about whether Europe will show up the next time we need a coalition. It’s hard to imagine a worse approach to enlisting allies than the one the US took in the war with Iran – providing no forewarning, creating economic chaos and then threatening and reprimanding nations for not marshalling resources to solve the problem of our making. Even before this most recent conflict, the seeds of European reluctance were planted by Washington."

Even before going to war in Iran, Trump, Nelson noted, had degraded and "belittled" the contributions of European allies in places like "Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria," calling those conflicts "stupid wars" and "terrible mistake[s]." This sort of treatment means that it is "no wonder" that European allies are less than thrilled at the prospect of sending their children off to fight in another U.S.-led conflict.

Nelson further chastised Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for their "one-way street" understanding of alliances and treaties. In their view, NATO allies must join the U.S. in any conflict or allow the use of their bases "without question," and all without "guarantees that America will provide support in their hour of need."

"The storm clouds growing around the world are too dark and numerous to desert the framework that prevented communist domination during the Cold War and preserved the international order since it ended," Nelson concluded. "America cannot do it alone – we need European partners to continue to expand their armed forces, shouldering a greater share of the collective defense of the free world. We must therefore maintain, nurture and repair our historical alliances. Bonds built over decades can be dashed in the blink of an eye through vitriol, resentment and mistrust."

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