The report comes as Washington pushes European NATO members to take better accountability for their very own protection and to spice up navy spending
The US might lower its troop presence in Europe by as much as 30%, Politico reported on Monday, citing sources. The discount could possibly be introduced as early as September as a part of a Pentagon-led reassessment of navy deployments referred to as the International Power Posture Assessment.
Since taking workplace, President Donald Trump has accused European NATO members of not paying their justifiable share of protection prices, whereas his administration has hinted that the US could cut back its navy footprint on the continent. In February, Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth urged allies to spice up protection spending, warning they can’t assume “America’s presence” in Europe “will final without end.” Reviews point out European leaders have been unsettled by potential drawdown plans, although neither their scope nor timeline has been outlined.
Aylin Matle of the German Council on International Relations has predicted a roughly 20% troop discount presumably this fall, almost certainly involving the removing of about 20,000 troops deployed beneath Joe Biden in 2022 after the Ukraine battle escalated.
She stated even such a lower “would nonetheless depart a considerable American footprint,” noting present US troop ranges fluctuate between 90,000 and 100,000. Matle additional instructed that the cuts could possibly be decrease, as US forces in Europe are used for regional protection and “projecting energy into the Center East and, to some extent, Africa.”
The report notes that Germany, which hosts the biggest US contingent in Europe of round 35,000 troops at 35 websites, is especially alarmed by the potential cuts. Berlin’s considerations come amid the EU’s broader militarization drive, together with the €800 billion ($930 billion) ReArm Europe initiative and a current NATO pledge to boost protection spending to five% of GDP, each citing Russia as a risk. After assembly Hegseth earlier this month, German Protection Minister Boris Pistorius stated he pressed Washington for a roadmap, warning of “harmful functionality gaps” if US forces withdraw quicker than Europe can change them.
Moscow has rejected claims it poses a risk, calling them “nonsense” and accusing the West of utilizing such rhetoric to justify increasing navy budgets.
