Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford listens before a House Armed Services Committee hearing on March 22, 2016. | AP Photo Top U.S. military leaders tout NATO's relevance They don't agree with Donald Trump's assessment of the longtime alliance.

TAMPA, Fla. — Donald Trump calls NATO "obsolete," but the nation's top military leaders disagree.

"In my mind, the relevance of NATO is not at all in question," Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford said Wednesday at MacDill Air Force Base when asked about rhetoric on the presidential campaign trail about the 28-member defense alliance founded in 1949.


Dunford said a question about NATO's role in the world might have been warranted 15 years ago, but, "It's hard to think about asking that question today."

Both Dunford and Defense Secretary Ash Carter touted the role that NATO plays from Europe to Afghanistan. Speaking at a news conference at U.S. Central Command, the two Pentagon leaders cited NATO's deterrence of Russia and the "collective security" it provides.

"NATO has done important work for our security and for international security since its original founding mission, which was to wage the Cold War, was successfully completed in the late '80s and early '90s," Carter said. "NATO has played an instrumental role in Afghanistan and helping the Afghan government and the Afghan security forces restore some decency and stability to that country."

In recent interviews, Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, has questioned the usefulness of NATO, saying it's too expensive for the U.S. The alliance needs to be changed, he said, explaining it isn't equipped to fight terrorism.

"NATO's not meant for terrorism," Trump said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "NATO doesn't have the right countries in it for terrorism."

