NATO anticipates deeper US military pullback in Europe — Bloomberg
Photo: US military personnel (Getty Images)
The United States' European allies are anticipating new decisions from President Donald Trump regarding US troops in Europe. Possible scenarios include a reduction in troop levels in Italy and Spain, according to Bloomberg.
According to the agency's sources, NATO countries expect a further review of the US military presence following Trump’s decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany.
In addition, the Trump administration may abandon a plan, approved during Joe Biden’s presidency, to deploy long-range missiles in Germany.
According to Bloomberg, NATO is also discussing other possible scenarios, specifically, reducing US participation in military exercises in Europe and redeploying some forces from countries that Washington considers less loyal to allies closer to the current administration.
Poland is among the countries that could receive an increased US presence. Warsaw has repeatedly stated its readiness to host more US troops.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the Bloomberg report, and the White House referred journalists to statements by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"If one of the main reasons why the US is in NATO is the ability to have forces deployed in Europe that we could project to other contingencies, and now that’s no longer the case at least when it comes to some NATO members, that’s a problem — and it has to be examined," Rubio says during a visit to Italy.
Currently, there are approximately 85,000 US troops stationed in Europe. Despite allies’ concerns, some NATO diplomats believe that Trump’s ability to carry out large-scale troop reductions may be limited by the U.S. Congress and Washington’s strategic interests in Europe.
"We would suffer as much as or more than the European countries we would identify as targets for punishment if we were to try to significantly reduce our forces or footprint," emphasizes Gordon Davis, a retired Army major general and former high-ranking NATO official.
Reduction of US presence in Europe
US President Donald Trump has confirmed plans to reduce the American military presence in Germany. According to him, more than 5,000 US troops could be withdrawn from Europe.
According to Politico, some Pentagon officials were shocked by this decision, as the withdrawal of troops from Germany had not been planned prior to this.
At the same time, the US Department of Defense confirmed Trump’s intentions, and one senior official, in a comment to The New York Times, called it punishment for Germany for its stance on the war in Iran.
Against this backdrop, Poland has already declared its readiness to accept additional US troops in the event of their redeployment from Western Europe.
