U.S. Defense Secretary Proposes Major Troop Reductions in Europe, NATO Allies Compensate

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prepared a plan to cut a large portion of American forces stationed in Europe, including reductions beyond the cancelled armored brigade in Poland and the withdrawn infantry brigade from Romania. The proposal, intended for a NATO senior‑officials meeting in Brussels, was halted after President Donald Trump intervened, arguing the move could embolden Russia.

NATO’s deputy commander for European operations, John Stringer, said European allies have largely offset the announced U.S. cuts by increasing their own contributions and reallocating capabilities, such as delivering F‑16 fighters to Bulgaria. The statement came ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, where allies will discuss how to balance U.S. strategic re‑orientation toward Asia with the alliance’s defence needs in Europe.