The downsizing might reportedly have an effect on half of the forces deployed by ex-President Joe Biden after the escalation of the Ukraine battle
The US is contemplating withdrawing as much as 10,000 troops from Japanese Europe, NBC Information reported on Tuesday, citing sources. The transfer might come as US President Donald Trump is engaged in talks with Russia to achieve a settlement within the Ukraine battle and seeks to focus extra on China.
The models in query are among the many 20,000 personnel deployed to the continent by the administration of former US President Joe Biden in 2022 after the escalation of the Ukraine battle, six unnamed US and European officers accustomed to the matter instructed the community.
The sources famous that whereas the precise determine remains to be underneath dialogue, the proposal might have an effect on US troops stationed in Romania and Poland – two NATO members near the Russian border.
In line with NBC, European officers expressed concern {that a} potential drawdown might stoke fears inside NATO that the US is abandoning the bloc within the face of the perceived Russian risk.
Former US Protection Division senior official Seth Jones mentioned the transfer would weaken the US army posture and improve Moscow’s “willingness to meddle in varied methods throughout the spectrum in Europe.”
As of early 2025, there have been almost 84,000 US troops stationed in Europe, with the majority concentrated in Germany and Poland, with extra modest forces deployed in Romania, Estonia, and Lithuania, in keeping with the US European Command.
The report comes because the Trump administration continues to push European NATO members to take extra duty for their very own protection, together with by growing protection spending whereas specializing in China containment.
In the meantime, the US is engaged in talks with Russia to achieve a ceasefire within the Ukraine battle and restore bilateral relations, which sank to an all-time low in the course of the Biden administration. Moscow has repeatedly expressed sturdy concern about NATO enlargement and the bloc’s army actions on its borders.
Russia has welcomed what it referred to as a willingness by Washington to discover the “root causes” of the Ukraine battle – together with Kiev’s want to hitch NATO, which has lengthy been a pink line for Moscow.
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