The Claim

Strengthened intelligence sharing with U.S. allies.

The Claim, Unpacked

What is literally being asserted?

That the Trump administration took actions during its first year that improved, expanded, or deepened the sharing of intelligence between the United States and its allies. “Strengthened” implies the baseline was weaker before and is now stronger. “U.S. allies” is unspecified — it could mean Five Eyes partners, NATO allies, Indo-Pacific security partners, or any combination thereof.

What is being implied but not asserted?

That the global intelligence-sharing architecture is in better condition because of this administration’s actions. That allies are receiving more intelligence from the United States, or sharing more with it, than before. That the administration has actively worked to deepen trust and cooperation with foreign intelligence services. The placement under “forging a stronger, modernized military force” implies this is a defense enhancement that makes America and its allies more secure.

What is conspicuously absent?

That four allied nations — the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Colombia — suspended or restricted intelligence sharing with the United States over the legality of Caribbean boat strikes (item 158). That the Netherlands reduced intelligence cooperation with the CIA and NSA over concerns about politicization. That DNI Tulsi Gabbard classified all Russia-Ukraine peace negotiation intelligence as NOFORN, cutting Five Eyes partners out of updates on Russian troop movements. That the administration paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine as diplomatic leverage. That Defense Secretary Hegseth’s Signal group chat leaked sensitive strike timing to an unauthorized journalist, with the Pentagon Inspector General finding it violated regulations and endangered troops. That European nations — including five of America’s closest intelligence partners — are now building independent intelligence capabilities specifically to reduce dependence on the United States. That allies have publicly stated they no longer trust the U.S. to safeguard shared intelligence.

Evidence Assessment

Established Facts

The United Kingdom suspended intelligence sharing with the United States on Caribbean drug trafficking operations in late 2025. CNN reported exclusively on November 11, 2025 that the UK stopped sharing intelligence on suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean over concerns about the legality of U.S. military strikes. The pause had reportedly been in effect for over a month at the time of reporting. Intelligence had been shared with the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) in Florida as part of decades-long counter-narcotics cooperation. The UK determined it did not want to be complicit in operations it regarded as illegal under international law. ¹

Colombia, Canada, and France also restricted intelligence cooperation with the United States over Caribbean strikes. Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered all public security forces to “suspend the sending of communications and other dealings with U.S. security agencies.” Canada formally instructed Washington not to use Canadian intelligence in any lethal operations. France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated France had “followed with concern the strikes carried out by the United States in international waters, in disregard of international law and the law of the sea.” These suspensions — by four allied nations simultaneously — represented an unprecedented break in counter-narcotics intelligence cooperation. ²

The Netherlands reduced intelligence sharing with the CIA and NSA, citing politicization concerns. In October 2025, AIVD Director-General Erik Akerboom and MIVD Director Peter Reesink confirmed their agencies had become more selective in cooperation with American counterparts. Reesink stated: “That we sometimes no longer tell certain things, that’s true.” Akerboom said decisions are now made case by case. Both directors noted this was the first time developments in the U.S. had directly shaped Dutch intelligence ties — a break with decades of close cooperation. The Netherlands simultaneously “scaled up enormously” cooperation with Northern European services as an alternative. ³

DNI Tulsi Gabbard ordered all Russia-Ukraine peace negotiation intelligence classified NOFORN, cutting Five Eyes partners out of critical intelligence. A memo issued by Gabbard explicitly ordered that all information on Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations be withheld from U.S. allies — including Five Eyes partners. The classification effectively shut Britain and Australia out of updates on Russian troop movements. France 24 reported that the restriction even limited intelligence sharing between U.S. agencies, with the NSA restricted from sharing with other domestic agencies about the peace talks. ⁴

The Trump administration paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine as diplomatic leverage in March 2025. After the February 28, 2025 confrontation between Trump and Zelenskyy, the administration froze intelligence sharing with Ukraine on March 5, 2025. The pause was explicitly used as leverage to pressure Kyiv into accepting a ceasefire. While sharing resumed approximately one week later after Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, the episode demonstrated the administration’s willingness to weaponize intelligence as a diplomatic tool — a precedent allies noted with alarm. ⁵

Defense Secretary Hegseth’s Signal group chat violated Pentagon regulations and endangered troops. The Pentagon Inspector General’s December 2025 report found that Hegseth shared exact times of F-18 launches, drone operations, and Tomahawk missile strikes against Yemen in a Signal chat that inadvertently included a journalist. The IG concluded the information “could have endangered American service members” if intercepted by a foreign adversary. Hegseth also violated federal records retention laws. While he had declassification authority, the incident demonstrated systematic disregard for information security protocols — the foundation on which intelligence sharing rests. ⁶

European allies began building independent intelligence capabilities specifically to reduce dependence on the United States. The Washington Post reported in June 2025 that European intelligence agencies had been “pulling back from their American counterparts and drawing closer to one another” since the Ukraine intelligence freeze. Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, and France announced plans to acquire satellite-based intelligence. The European Commission began building an intelligence “cell” in its Secretariat-General. The EU formally proposed establishing an intelligence unit under Commission President von der Leyen. These are not temporary adjustments but structural investments in intelligence autonomy. ⁷

Strong Inferences

Foreign intelligence officials expressed diminished willingness to share intelligence with the Trump administration from the earliest weeks of the term. Foreign Policy reported in February 2025 that Five Eyes, Israeli, and Saudi officials feared intelligence shared with the administration could reach Moscow through Trump’s planned one-on-one meetings with Putin. One Western intelligence official stated: “Of course, you are much less likely to share information when there’s a real risk it ends up with Moscow or MAGA acolytes who cannot be trusted.” Multiple countries moved to case-by-case sharing models rather than automatic sharing — a significant downgrade from the standard Five Eyes practice. ⁸

The politicization of intelligence analysis under the administration undermined the integrity foundation of intelligence partnerships. The Lowy Institute characterized the “apparent politicisation of intelligence analysis” as the development that should “truly alarm” America’s allies — more concerning even than operational security breaches. DNI Gabbard fired two veteran intelligence analysts who contradicted White House claims about Tren de Aragua. NCTC Director Joe Kent (who later resigned) pressured analysts to alter assessments. When allies cannot trust that the intelligence they receive from the U.S. reflects genuine analysis rather than political messaging, the entire basis for sharing erodes. ⁹

The administration did affirm AUKUS — but this represents continuity, not strengthening. The Trump administration affirmed the AUKUS partnership in December 2025 after a six-month review that itself created uncertainty. AUKUS Pillar 2 includes advanced capabilities cooperation and technology sharing. But AUKUS was negotiated and announced under Biden in September 2021, and the Pillar 2 technology-sharing framework remains hampered by NOFORN restrictions, ITAR export controls, and classification system differences. The administration’s contribution was affirming an existing commitment after first casting doubt on it. ¹⁰

What the Evidence Shows

The claim that the Trump administration “strengthened intelligence sharing with U.S. allies” is not merely unsupported by evidence — it is contradicted by an overwhelming body of evidence documenting the opposite.

The most concrete and measurable development in intelligence sharing during 2025 was the unprecedented suspension of cooperation by multiple allies. The United Kingdom, Colombia, Canada, and France all restricted or suspended intelligence sharing over the Caribbean boat strikes program (item 158). The Netherlands reduced CIA and NSA cooperation over politicization concerns. These are not think-tank assessments or editorial opinions — they are actions taken by allied governments, confirmed by their own officials on the record.

Beyond the boat-strike suspensions, the administration took extraordinary unilateral actions to restrict intelligence sharing. DNI Gabbard classified all Russia-Ukraine peace negotiation intelligence as NOFORN, cutting even Five Eyes partners out of battlefield intelligence they had previously received automatically. The administration froze intelligence sharing with Ukraine as diplomatic leverage. Defense Secretary Hegseth’s Signal chat leaked sensitive operational details, with the Pentagon’s own inspector general finding it violated regulations and endangered troops. Each of these incidents independently undermined the trust on which intelligence sharing depends. Together, they represent a systematic pattern.

The structural response from allies is perhaps the most damning indicator. European nations are not merely expressing concern — they are investing billions in independent intelligence capabilities. Six European countries announced satellite intelligence programs. The EU is building its own intelligence coordination center. The Netherlands “scaled up enormously” with Northern European services as an alternative to U.S. cooperation. These are not the actions of allies who believe intelligence sharing has been “strengthened.” They are hedging strategies against an intelligence partner they no longer fully trust.

The steel-man case for this claim would point to AUKUS Pillar 2 technology cooperation, the administration’s hemispheric security summit pledges (February 2025), and general language in the 2025 National Security Strategy about deepening intelligence partnerships. But AUKUS was a Biden initiative that the Trump administration affirmed after first questioning it. The hemispheric security pledges are aspirational statements, not operational intelligence agreements. And the National Security Strategy’s language about intelligence sharing exists in direct tension with the administration’s demonstrated behavior of restricting, weaponizing, and leaking shared intelligence.

The Bottom Line

The claim deserves a steel-man acknowledgment: the administration did affirm AUKUS, which includes an intelligence and technology-sharing component. It pledged hemispheric security cooperation. The 2025 National Security Strategy calls for strengthened intelligence partnerships. These are words on paper, and they exist.

But the record of actual intelligence sharing during 2025 is one of unprecedented deterioration. Five allied nations — the UK, Netherlands, Colombia, Canada, and France — suspended or restricted intelligence cooperation with the United States. The administration itself restricted intelligence from Five Eyes partners via NOFORN classifications, weaponized intelligence sharing as leverage against Ukraine, and leaked sensitive operational details through cavalier handling of classified information on Signal. European allies responded by beginning to build independent intelligence infrastructure specifically to reduce dependence on the United States. Foreign intelligence officials stated on the record that they no longer trust the U.S. to safeguard shared intelligence. The Washington Monthly headlined the state of the Five Eyes as “Three Blind Mice.” The verdict is not a close call. The administration did not strengthen intelligence sharing with U.S. allies. By multiple independent measures — allied cooperation levels, trust assessments, operational security incidents, structural hedging behavior, and the administration’s own NOFORN restrictions — it weakened intelligence sharing more dramatically than any administration in the history of the modern intelligence alliance system.

Sources

Footnotes

1. CNN, “Exclusive: UK Suspends Some Intelligence Sharing With US Over Boat Strike Concerns in Major Break,” November 11, 2025. Intelligence had been shared with JIATF-S; the UK determined the strikes were illegal. NBC News confirmed the suspension. https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/politics/uk-suspends-caribbean-intelligence-sharing-us; https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/uk-withholds-intelligence-alleged-drug-boats-us-strikes-sources-say-rcna243616 ↩

2. TIME, “Which Countries Have Stopped Sharing Intelligence With U.S.?” November 2025. Colombia, UK, Netherlands confirmed. Al Jazeera, “Colombia’s Petro Halts Intelligence Sharing With US Over Caribbean Strikes,” November 12, 2025. Canada: instructed Washington not to use Canadian intelligence in lethal operations. France: FM Barrot expressed concern about legal foundation. https://time.com/7333231/countries-stop-sharing-intelligence-with-united-states-amid-boat-strikes-caribbean/; https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/12/colombias-petro-halts-intelligence-sharing-with-us-over-caribbean-strikes ↩

3. NL Times, “Dutch Intelligence Services Cut Back on Sharing Information With U.S.,” October 18, 2025. AIVD Director-General Akerboom and MIVD Director Reesink on the record. Kyiv Post, “Netherlands Limits Intelligence-Sharing With US Amid Politicization, Russia Fears.” Newsweek, “NATO Ally Cuts Back Intel Sharing With United States.” https://nltimes.nl/2025/10/18/dutch-intelligence-services-cut-back-sharing-information-us; https://www.kyivpost.com/post/62663; https://www.newsweek.com/nato-ally-cuts-back-intel-sharing-with-united-states-10904432 ↩

4. France 24, “Has the US Shut Its ‘Five Eyes’ Allies Out of Intelligence on Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks?” August 26, 2025. DNI Gabbard memo classified all peace talks intelligence NOFORN. The Spectator Australia, “Why Trump Is Freezing Out Five Eyes Allies,” November 2025. https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20250826-has-the-us-shut-its-five-eyes-allies-out-of-intelligence-on-ukraine-russia-peace-talks; https://www.spectator.com.au/2025/11/why-trump-is-freezing-out-five-eyes-allies/ ↩

5. NPR, “U.S. Resumes Ukraine Military Aid and Intelligence Sharing as Kyiv Approves Ceasefire,” March 12, 2025. Pause began March 5 after Trump-Zelenskyy confrontation. Defense News confirmed the freeze. The Conversation, “The US Has Lifted Its Intelligence Sharing Pause With Ukraine. But the Damage May Already Be Done.” https://www.npr.org/2025/03/12/nx-s1-5324926/u-s-resumes-ukraine-military-aid-and-intelligence-sharing-as-kyiv-approves-ceasefire; https://theconversation.com/the-us-has-lifted-its-intelligence-sharing-pause-with-ukraine-but-the-damage-may-already-be-done-251930 ↩

6. CBS News, “Pentagon Watchdog Finds Hegseth’s Signal Chat Violated Regulations, Could Have Endangered Troops,” December 2025. NPR, “Pentagon Report on Signalgate Reveals Hegseth’s Group Chat Violated Regulations,” December 4, 2025. Washington Post, “Watchdog Finds Hegseth Violated Pentagon Protocol in ‘Signalgate’ Affair,” December 3, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseths-signal-chat-pentagon-inspector-general-report/; https://www.npr.org/2025/12/04/nx-s1-5630951/pentagon-report-on-signalgate-reveals-hegseths-group-chat-violated-regulations; https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/12/03/hegseth-signalgate-inspector-general-report/ ↩

7. Washington Post, “Europe Worries About Its Dependence on U.S. Intelligence,” June 5, 2025. Poland, Portugal, Netherlands, Finland, Germany, France announced satellite intelligence programs. Defense News, “The EU Wants Its Own Intelligence Branch,” November 12, 2025. Defense News, “Inside Europe’s Race to Supplant US Defense Enablers,” February 27, 2026. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/05/europe-cia-intelligence-sharing/; https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/11/12/the-european-union-wants-its-own-intelligence-branch/; https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/02/27/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-inside-europes-race-to-supplant-us-defense-enablers/ ↩

8. Foreign Policy, “US Allies Unsure What Secret Intelligence They Can Share With Trump,” February 27, 2025. Five Eyes, Israeli, Saudi officials concerned. NBC News, “As Trump Pivots to Russia, Allies Weigh Sharing Less Intel With U.S.” Start Insight, “The Five Eyes Alliance and the Erosion of Trust under Trump’s Policy.” https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/27/trump-cia-allies-intelligence-sharing-five-eyes-trust/; https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-pivots-russia-allies-weigh-sharing-less-intel-us-rcna194420; https://www.startinsight.eu/en/the-five-eyes-alliance-and-the-erosion-of-trust-under-trumps-policy/ ↩

9. Lowy Institute, “Five Eyes Alert: Trump Is Skewing Intelligence to Suit His Priorities.” Politicization characterized as the most alarming development for allies. Washington Monthly, “Five Eyes Become Three Blind Mice,” November 20, 2025. The Hill, “Trump’s Signal Scandal Fuels Growing Distrust From Allies.” Foreign Affairs, “Trump’s Threat to U.S. Intelligence.” https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/five-eyes-alert-trump-skewing-intelligence-suit-his-priorities; https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/20/five-eyes-three-blind-mice-trust-crisis/; https://thehill.com/policy/international/5220396-trump-administration-signal-allies/; https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/trumps-threat-us-intelligence ↩

10. Breaking Defense, “Trump Backs AUKUS Deal,” October 2025. Pentagon review began June 2025, resolved December 2025. AUKUS announced September 2021 under Biden. ASPI, “AUKUS Pillar Two Can Deliver Fast — After We Fix It.” IISS, “AUKUS Pillar II Under Pressure,” December 2025: tangible demonstrations “have yet to emerge.” CSIS, “AUKUS Pillar Two: Advancing the Capabilities of the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.” https://breakingdefense.com/2025/10/trump-backs-aukus-deal-pushing-to-expedite-sub-delivery-to-australia/; https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/aukus-pillar-two-can-deliver-fast-after-we-fix-it/; https://www.iiss.org/publications/strategic-comments/2025/12/aukus-pillar-ii-under-pressure/ ↩