On June 12th, local time, the American newspaper The New York Times reported that the United States is accelerating the reduction of security measures it has provided to European allies for decades, with plans to significantly cut the number of military aircraft and ships deployed in Europe.
The documents obtained and reviewed by this newspaper show that the United States plans to reduce the number of F-16 and F-15E fighter jets available for NATO use in Europe from about 150 to 100 units; reduce the number of maritime reconnaissance aircraft from 26 to 15 units, and withdraw all 8 aerial refueling aircraft previously deployed in Europe. Additionally, a missile-launching submarine, an aircraft carrier, several warships equipped with those carriers, and dozens of carrier-based aircraft will be moved away from their current deployments. One of the two strategic bomber squadrons originally responsible for European defense will also be removed.
The United States deploys F-16 fighter jets in Europe. The U.S. European Command.
The Pentagon refused to comment on the specific numbers mentioned in the document, citing only a statement issued by the European Command last week, stating that the U.S. plans to generally reduce its military commitments in Europe.
Two anonymous European senior officials revealed that the US side notified them in writing by early June regarding relevant decisions.
The New York Times noted that the German newspaper Welt had disclosed some details on April 4th, and the details revealed in this case further illustrate the Trump administration’s plans to reduce its funding for NATO. As a military alliance established during the early Cold War, NATO has long played an important role in protecting Europe from external threats. Today, European countries still regard NATO as an important security pillar for “containing” Russia.
Currently, the U.S. Department of Defense has not announced a specific timeline for withdrawing troops. However, several U.S. officials have hinted that the plan will be implemented soon, much earlier than expected in Europe. Reports claim that this sudden reduction of U.S. military forces in Europe will directly affect NATO’s capabilities in long-range strikes and intelligence reconnaissance. In the future, NATO’s missions to monitor Russian submarine activities and launch Tomahawk cruise missiles will also be impacted.
Although European countries also have certain capabilities in this area, many military experts believe that US strategic assets possess greater deterrence power. If Europe were to bear the responsibility independently, both political concerns and willingness to act would be significantly reduced.
Zhitubo EU Security Institute Research Fellow Zhu Sipe·Spatofila believes that, viewed individually, the United States' each measure of cutbacks can be dealt with by Europe, but if implemented cumulatively, it would mean a major shift in NATO’s overall military posture and pose challenges to European deterrence power.
For a long time, Trump has argued that the United States bears too much of the burden of NATO defense. He has criticized Europe for taking advantage of the U.S. while demanding more responsibility for their own defense. Trump has also threatened to withdraw from NATO several times. However, previously the Trump administration only announced small-scale troop withdrawals from certain countries, such as withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany and suspending the planned rotation of over 4,000 American troops to Poland. The latest document, however, systematically proposes cuts in support for the entire NATO alliance.
According to data released by the US military in mid-April, there are currently about 86,000 US troops stationed in Europe. The New York Times states that considering the still large scale of US forces in Europe, the impact of this adjustment will be mitigated to some extent. At the same time, as Europe has realized the need to reduce its dependence on the United States in recent years, many countries have launched new rounds of military expansion plans, which also helps to reduce the impact.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart told Reuters that the alliance has long been 'over-reliant' on American military power. 'As Europe and Canada increase their military spending and enhance their military capabilities, the division of responsibilities may change,' she said. This, in turn, helps to strengthen the overall defense capability of NATO.
However, analysis by American media points out that Europe still faces many challenges in its own military buildup. The British Defense Secretary resigned this week, accusing the government of insufficient investment in defense. Germany also announced its withdrawal from the joint project with France and Spain to develop new-generation fighter jets, indicating that there are still differences in military cooperation within Europe.
Moreover, reports indicate that for many Europeans, more worrying than the exact number of military equipment that will be withdrawn is whether the United States is still willing to fulfill its security commitments to Europe.
German politician Anton Hofreiter said bluntly: "The biggest crisis for NATO now is that as long as Trump remains president, Europe no longer believes that the United States will send troops to assist Europe in case of an emergency."
As France and Turkey host crucial G7 and NATO summits, a survey released by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) on the 10th shows that Europe's confidence in U.S. “security guarantees” has dropped to historical lows. Among the 15 countries surveyed, only 11% of respondents believed that the Trump administration is a ally of Europe, and almost all respondents in those countries tend to reduce their strategic dependence on U.S. military equipment.
Senior researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in the UK, Arnold said that although the latest military adjustments by the United States are not the worst-case scenario, they are sufficient to force Europe to reevaluate its own security strategy. “They will force Europe to seriously consider its future defense direction.”
It is also worth noting that while the United States privately informed Europe about its withdrawal plans, it publicly emphasized that it would shift more military resources to the Indo-Pacific region.
NATO’s Supreme Commander for Europe and Commander of the U.S. Army Europe, General Greenberger, stated in early June that the current NATO troop deployment pattern has “created an unhealthy dependence on American troops”.
He further stated that Trump and U.S. Defense Secretary Hagel have clearly indicated that this situation must change, and it will definitely change. “In the future, there may be realities where multiple conflict zones need to be addressed simultaneously, which will require the United States to reconfigure its military forces globally.”
