The United States wants to reduce the volume of military forces for NATO operations in Europe. What does this mean?

The United States is preparing to reduce some of the military forces and equipment that currently support NATO operations in Europe. We are talking about a large-scale change in American strategy, in which Washington is gradually reducing its involvement in European security. This creates additional military and financial challenges for the EU countries, as many of the alliance's key capabilities still depend on American resources. What is behind the US plans and how they can affect the balance of power in Europe is in the Izvestia article.

Reducing cooperation

• The United States is preparing to significantly reduce the amount of forces and equipment allocated to NATO missions in Europe. In early June, a document with relevant proposals was sent to the allies. The plan provides for reducing the number of F-16 and F-15E fighters from about 150 to 100 units, as well as reducing the fleet of naval reconnaissance aircraft from 26 to 15 aircraft.

• In addition, it is planned to remove all eight tanker aircraft assigned to the European route. The transfer of an aircraft carrier, a nuclear submarine with missile weapons, and with them parts of ships and escort aircraft is also being considered. One of the two groups of strategic bombers is planned to be transferred to another direction.

• The changes may take effect in the near future. They are capable of reducing the alliance's capabilities in the field of intelligence, surveillance of Russian submarines, and long-range strikes. The Pentagon did not confirm specific figures, but recalled the intention of the European Command of the US Armed Forces to review the scope of Washington's commitments in Europe.

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• The United States wants to reduce its military presence in Europe as part of a major review of its strategy. In early May, US President Donald Trump announced plans to reduce the American contingent in Germany by more than 5,000 troops. Earlier, he also allowed for a reduction in the number of troops in Italy and Spain.

• These steps are linked to the policy of the administration of US President Donald Trump aimed at reducing the American military presence on the European continent and redistributing resources to the Indo-Pacific region. At the same time, the United States will retain a significant role in NATO and participation in the nuclear deterrence system. At the same time, European allies are being pushed to accelerate the build-up of their own armed capabilities and reduce dependence on Washington's support.

Problems of independence

• Reduced cooperation between Washington and Brussels could weaken the alliance's defense capabilities in Europe. For many years, the US military has provided rapid response to crises, participated in joint exercises and maintained a high level of NATO combat readiness in the European region. Reducing the contingent could reduce the operational flexibility of the bloc, slow down emergency response, and create additional political uncertainty for the allies. According to experts, it will take about 12 years for Europe to fully replace the American presence.

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• The full independence of the European security system still looks elusive. European states remain heavily dependent on the United States for intelligence, satellite surveillance, missile defense, and long-range aviation. Creating a similar infrastructure will require huge investments. Additional difficulties are created by the high level of public debt of individual countries: at the beginning of 2025, Germany's figure was 62.3% of GDP, and France's was 114.1% of GDP, with the EU limit of 60%.

• Another problem remains the lack of a unified position on defense issues. Not all NATO countries meet the target for military spending of 2% of GDP: in 2024, 22 of the 32 alliance states remained below this level. At the same time, Donald Trump insists on raising the figure to 5% of GDP. Disagreements over command, arms procurement, and threat assessment make it difficult to form a common strategy. In such circumstances, a reduction in the American presence may increase the burden on European allies and at the same time reduce the level of trust in the United States as a key security partner.

Impact on the region

• The consequences for regional security will manifest themselves in several areas: first of all, the burden on European armies will increase. Germany, France, Great Britain, Poland and Italy will have to finance their own armed forces more actively and increase military production faster. A decrease in the number of American reconnaissance and tanker aircraft will reduce the ability to control air and sea space. Reducing aircraft carrier and submarine forces will reduce the potential for rapid deployment in a crisis situation.

• NATO believes that European countries can gradually meet some of the emerging needs, but this will take years and tens of billions of euros in additional costs. Already, the alliance's military planners are adjusting defense scenarios and looking for a replacement for American resources within the framework of the new NATO force model. At the same time, the complete withdrawal of the United States from Europe is not expected. Washington retains the largest military potential in the alliance, nuclear safeguards and a significant part of command functions. Nevertheless, the center of gravity of European security is gradually shifting towards greater responsibility of the European states themselves, and the process of adaptation may become one of the most ambitious changes in NATO in recent decades.

What does this mean?

• Washington is gradually moving away from the previous model, in which it ensured European security on a large scale, and expects allies to be more independent in financing defense. At the same time, the main focus of the United States is shifting to Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region, where China is considered the main strategic rival. An additional factor was the disagreement between the United States and a number of European countries on foreign policy issues, including the situation around Iran.

When writing the material, Izvestia took into account the opinion of:

• political expert Evgeny Zlenko.