REPORT: Pentagon May Cut a Third of US Forces in Europe – 25,000 Troops Would Be Pulled Along With Planes, Ships and Weapons

Germany alone could reportedly lose as many as 5,000 troops.

It’s well known that the US administration of Donald J. Trump is reconfiguring its alliance with Europe, as the old-world Globalist powers show limited loyalty to America, and their efforts to rearm face multiple hurdles.

Now, reports arise that ‘the Pentagon may pull planes, ships, weapons and tens of thousands of US troops from Europe’, in a drastic (but not unexpected) move.

BREAKING: The Pentagon is considering withdrawing 25,000 troops and planes, ships and other assets from Europe, according to NBC News report.

— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) September 17, 2026

JUST IN – Trump’s Pentagon considering plans to pull planes, ships, weapons and more than 25,000 U.S. troops out of Europe. pic.twitter.com/V7P50257IV

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 17, 2026

The NBC report is sourced to ‘seven current and former U.S. and Western officials.’ Meaning that it is another ‘secret source’ report that we need to take in with a pinch of salt – even if it sounds in line with known initiatives by Trump’s Department of War.

“The reduction could be roughly one-third of all U.S. troops in Europe, or roughly 25,000. One U.S. official and another person with knowledge of the deliberations say it could be even larger — as much as half, or up to 40,000 troops. If carried out, it would be the most significant scaling back of the 80,000-strong U.S. military presence in Europe since the aftermath of the Cold War in the 1990s.”

This possible withdrawal could completely scramble the geopolitical chessboard during the wars in Ukraine and Iran.

“Countries affected by the cuts will likely include Germany, Italy and Spain, according to three U.S. officials, a Western official and a former U.S. official with knowledge of the matter. The three nations host the bulk of U.S. troops in Europe, but leaders of all the countries have also clashed with President Donald Trump over the war with Iran.

Since the beginning of his second term, Trump and his deputies have argued that Europe should take the lead in its own defense, backed by America’s nuclear arsenal, and that U.S. forces are needed to tackle more urgent threats from China, Iran and drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere. In recent months, Trump, who has long questioned the value of the NATO alliance, has lashed out at European partners over their refusal to join the United States in its war against Iran.

The six-month review of the American military’s presence in Europe is ongoing, and preliminary results are expected to be presented to Secretary Pete Hegseth shortly.

“Hegseth is due to receive a final recommendation on Nov. 6, which would then be presented to the president. Any withdrawals would happen after that. […] Hegseth directed the six-month review of forces in Europe to ‘ensure our posture aligns with President Trump’s commonsense, America First strategy’, a senior Defense Department official said in a statement.”

Reuters reported:

“The Pentagon has been tight-lipped about the review, but in August it prepared a document with 57 questions for allies aimed at measuring their military, financial and ideological commitment to the U.S., according to a copy of the memo reviewed by Reuters. One question, for instance, asks whether a country has been ‘publicly supportive of U.S. foreign policy priorities’.

[…] One possible outcome of the force review, said three people familiar with the matter, is that Hegseth could propose the same number that he wanted to announce in June: a 25,000 cut.

The White House has said the six-month review will ‘ensure irreversible momentum toward a European-led defense of Europe’. The Pentagon and Hegseth didn’t respond to written requests for comment. But a senior Pentagon official told Reuters: ‘This is a serious review, designed to be rigorous, consultative and empirical’.

The U.S. has more than 81,000 military personnel in Europe, a number that fluctuates as troops rotate through the continent on deployments and exercises, according to government audits and congressional testimony reviewed by Reuters.”

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