U.S. Plans to Reduce Forces Available to NATO in Crises

The Trump administration plans to scale back the U.S. military forces it would make available to NATO in a major crisis, three sources told Reuters. The move would reduce the pool of U.S. capabilities designated for rapid deployment under NATO’s force planning system. Officials are expected to outline the shift at an upcoming meeting of defense policy chiefs.

Under the NATO Force Model, member states identify military capabilities that can be activated in the event of a conflict or other major emergency. Sources said the Pentagon has decided to significantly reduce the U.S. share of those forces, though the exact scale and timeline of the reduction remain unclear.

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has said the United States will continue to rely on its nuclear arsenal to protect NATO members, even as European allies take on greater responsibility for conventional forces. “What we’re basically saying is, as the European pillar of the alliance gets stronger, this allows the U.S. to reduce its presence in Europe and limit itself to providing only those critical capabilities that allies cannot yet provide,” Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Alexus Grynkewich said in a press conference in Brussels on Tuesday.

“So we should expect there to be a redeployment of U.S. The move follows other recent steps, including U.S. troop reductions in Europe. Adjusting the NATO Force Model has emerged as a key priority ahead of the alliance’s upcoming summit in Turkey in July.