The Pentagon issued a statement yesterday announcing that it “has” reduced the number of US Army brigade combat teams (BCTs) stationed in Europe from four to three. “This returns us to the levels of BCTs in Europe in 2021,” it said. “This decision was the result of a comprehensive, multilayered process focused on U.S. force posture in Europe. This is resulting in a temporary delay of the deployment of U.S. forces to Poland, which is a model U.S. ally.”
But there may be more to come. “The Department will determine the final disposition of these and other U.S. forces in Europe based on further analysis of U.S. strategic and operational requirements, as well as our allies’ own ability to contribute forces toward Europe’s defense,” it said further. “This analysis is designed to advance President Trump’s America First agenda in Europe and other theaters, including by incentivizing and enabling our NATO allies to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense.”
That was just one of a series of hammer blows that US officials delivered yesterday. Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Alexus Grynkewich told reporters after a NATO defense chiefs meeting in Brussels that Europe should “absolutely” expect additional United States troop withdrawals in the future as European NATO allies strengthen their capability to provide more of their own conventional defense.
“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,” Grynkewich said. “So we should expect there to be a redeployment of U.S. forces over time as allies build their capacity.”
