The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth intended to announce a further reduction of American forces in Europe at last month’s NATO senior commanders meeting. The proposal was stopped after review by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior Trump officials.
The planned cuts would have gone beyond the earlier withdrawal of a tank battalion from Poland and an infantry battalion from Romania. Instead, Hegseth announced a six‑month review of the U.S. force posture in Europe.
U.S. officials hope that the upcoming NATO summit in Turkey will demonstrate unity among allies, although concerns about differing views on U.S. military commitments in Europe may still cast a shadow over the meeting.