May 20 (UPI) — The U.S. military announced it is withdrawing thousands of troops from Europe and delaying the deployment of thousands more to Poland, prompting NATO officials to publicly reassure allies that the move will not affect the alliance’s defense posture.
Though the withdrawal of some 5,000 troops from Germany was announced earlier this month, Defense spokesman Sean Parnell on Tuesday explained the force reduction was to advance President Donald 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.”
“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,” Parnell said in a statement.
The withdrawal is responsible for the delay in deploying forces to Poland, Parnell said, while praising Warsaw as “a model U.S. ally.”
“Poland has shown both the ability and resolve to defend itself. Other allies should follow suit,” he said.
Trump has long been an outspoken critic of NATO, specifically accusing European allies of neglecting to invest in their own militaries, leaving the United States to shoulder their defense.
Relations between the alliance’s 32 members and Trump have further soured since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began in late February, with the American leader chastising NATO allies for not coming to the United States’ aid in the conflict.
The U.S. military then announced the withdrawal from Germany on May 1 after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the American leader and his war in Iran, saying American leaders were being “humiliated” by Iran and that they “clearly have no strategy.”
The withdrawal is expected to take up to a year. When completed, U.S. forces in Europe will be reduced to 2021 levels — prior to the return of war to Europe with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Speaking to reporters at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich — supreme allied commander Europe for NATO and commander of U.S. European Command in the U.S. military — conveyed confidence in the alliance’s defensive capabilities, despite the U.S. withdrawal.
He said allies have increased their support since 2022 when U.S. troops now being removed were deployed to Europe.
Baltic allies, Poland and others have built up ground combat power that there is “substantially more capability” now than before, he said, while highlighting the multinational brigade led by Canada in Latvia and the German buildout of another brigade in Lithuania.
“As allies build up their capability, the United States is able to pull capability back and use it for other global priorities,” he said during the press conference.
“So, I’m very comfortable where we are.”
On the possibility of further reductions of U.S. troops, he said no other redeployments have been announced, but over the long term allies should expect withdrawals as Europe shoulders more of its own defense.
The announcement comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio is to travel to Sweden on Friday for the Foreign Ministers Meeting, where he is expected to call on the alliance to taken on a greater share of defense responsibilities, State Department spokesman Thomas Pigott said Tuesday in a statement.
