US could reshape its military presence in Europe — Reuters
Photo: US military (GettyImages)
The Pentagon is preparing several scenarios for changes to the US military presence in Europe. US NATO allies fear that the review could lead to a significant reduction in the contingent, which numbers about 80,000 troops, according to Reuters.
Pentagon preparing options
The review of the deployment of US troops in Europe is scheduled to be completed by November 6. As part of this process, the Pentagon intends to prepare at least four detailed options for the future US presence.
A high-ranking official from the US Department of Defense states that Washington wants to assess the pros and cons of various options regarding the size and distribution of its forces.
"We want to be able to talk through the pros and cons of a variety of different force levels or dispositions," he says in a comment to Reuters.
European allies are skeptical about this review. According to the agency, some NATO representatives have privately expressed concerns that the decision to reduce the US contingent has, in fact, already been made.
What NATO discusses
US Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby is set to discuss the prepared scenarios with NATO ambassadors in Brussels.
The Pentagon states that the US intends to shift to more limited support for Europe, while expecting allies to play a greater role in ensuring their own security.
A Pentagon spokesperson also emphasizes President Donald Trump's dissatisfaction with the actions of some allies in recent months.
"President Trump has also been quite rightly and clearly frustrated with certain allies' behavior in recent months. So there's clearly at least some demand signal to have options that would show us (downgrading) our force levels in Europe," says a US Department of Defense official speaking on condition of anonymity.
US criteria
Pentagon guidelines separately address US rights regarding access to allied territory, the deployment of military facilities, and overflight rights over NATO countries.
They also take into account space and cyberspace, intelligence capabilities, and the infrastructure necessary for the global deployment of US forces.
Washington intends to assess whether allies are capable of meeting their NATO spending commitments and closing the force gap identified in the NATO Force Model.
Earlier, the US sent a special questionnaire to Alliance countries. It includes, in particular, questions about defense spending, procurement, strategies, and restrictions on access, deployment, and overflights by US forces.
Allies are to submit their responses by Friday. All proposed options for adjusting the US presence are scheduled to be discussed at the Pentagon by September 18, with the participation of the commander of US forces in Europe.
European NATO countries have already been able to compensate for most of the military capabilities that the US has removed from its plans in the event of a potential conflict in Europe.
