Pentagon Cancels Deployment of Thousands of Soldiers to Europe

The Pentagon is announcing more cuts to American troop levels in Europe as it pushes NATO allies on the continent to take more responsibility for their own defense.The Department of Defense says it is reducing the number of Brigade Combat Teams assigned to Europe from four to three. The teams are made up of approximately 4,000 troops.Defense officials say the decision to make the cut came after a “comprehensive, multilayered process focused on U.S. force posture in Europe.” The reduction will return the number of military units assigned to the continent to levels before Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022.The Pentagon says the cuts will temporarily delay the deployment of American forces scheduled to head to Poland. American officials say Poland has the ability to defend itself with its own military but it will monitor the situation and make adjustments if needed.“The Department will determine the final disposition of these and other U.S. forces in Europe based on further analysis of U.S. strategic and operational requirements, as well as our allies’ own ability to contribute forces toward Europe’s defense,” the Defense Department said in a release.The Trump administration wants NATO allies to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense. President Trump announced last month that he planned to pull 5,000 troops from Germany.NATO said its European members are prepared to invest more in their own defense. “We remain confident in our ability to provide for our deterrence and defense as this shift toward a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO continues,” said a NATO spokeswoman based at Brussels, Allison Hart.NATO’s foreign ministers will meet in Sweden on Thursday and Friday to finalize preparations for a NATO summit in Turkey in July. Reuters reported that the Trump administration will tell the gathering that it will further shrink the number of forces America will provide Europe.Under the NATO force model, allies designate national forces that are available to NATO for operations, missions, and other activities. A three-tiered readiness system ranges for needs to be filled in under 10 days up to 6 months.NATO’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, on Wednesday highlighted the need for European countries to deliver on their commitments to increase defense spending to five percent of their gross domestic product. “The question is no longer whether we need to do more. The question is how quickly allies can turn commitments into capabilities,” Mr. Rutte said.Mr. Rutte added that shifting the balance of responsibilities within the alliance to put more responsibility on Europe and Canada for conventional defense is part of ensuring NATO remains ready militarily.Mr. Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull out of NATO, claiming European members do not come to America’s aid when needed. The president lashed out against NATO last month over a lack of assistance in the war against Iran. Mr. Rutte says some allies were slow to offer assistance but says they were caught off guard because they were not notified before the joint American-Israeli attacks started.

Pentagon Cancels Deployment of Thousands of Soldiers to Europe

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