U.S. to Announce Cuts in NATO War Support Capabilities

The U.S. is scheduled to announce reductions in military capabilities it provides to NATO, focusing on support available during a potential invasion or conflict. Current troop levels across NATO territory are expected to remain the same for now.

U.S. maintains approximately 76,000 troops in NATO countries, a level reached after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Officials have described the upcoming changes as part of pre-planned adjustments to U.S. force posture in Europe.

A NATO military source told Euronews that the reductions will affect material support available in a crisis rather than forces already stationed on the continent. The announcement is set for Friday and will not immediately alter numbers on the ground.

NATO senior military advisor Colonel Martin O’Donnell said the adjustments have been discussed with NATO over recent months. He added that the changes align with areas where European countries have increased their own defense capabilities.

“There should be no surprises on this, and it will focus on areas where we see Europeans very, very capable of stepping up.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated on Tuesday that the U.S. is cutting the number of troops available to NATO as part of a comprehensive review of its European posture. The move follows the earlier cancellation of a 4,000-strong brigade deployment to Poland.

O’Donnell noted that the U.S. continues to maintain tens of thousands of land, air, maritime, and special forces on the continent, including participation in NATO’s largest special forces exercise.