The Pentagon reportedly plans to “significantly scale down” the size of the forces that Europe can rely on during a conflict
The administration of President Donald Trump is reportedly set to tell European NATO members that the US will reduce the military capabilities available to the bloc in the event of a major crisis, including an attack on a member state.
Although the composition of the forces assigned under the NATO Force Model is classified, the Pentagon has decided to “significantly scale down” its commitment, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
The plan is expected to be announced at a meeting of defense policy chiefs in Brussels on May 22, according to three anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The US is expected to be represented at the meeting by Alex Velez-Green, a senior aide to Undersecretary of War Elbridge Colby.
The adjustment of the NATO Force Model has reportedly become a key priority for Colby’s team ahead of the next NATO leaders’ summit, which will take place in Türkiye in July. Despite pushing the Europeans to take the lead on conventional forces, Colby previously said the US would “strenuously oppose” them in developing nuclear weapons to replace the US nuclear umbrella.
The report comes amid a broader scaling back of the US military presence in Europe, where more than 80,000 US troops were stationed in 2025 under a decades-old system of combined territorial defense and deterrence dating back to the end of World War II.
The White House has reportedly drawn up a NATO “naughty and nice” list to reward those who supported the US-Israeli war against Iran and punish those who did not, including by shifting troops, scaling back exercises, or redirecting military cooperation.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon canceled the planned rotation of 4,000 troops into Poland, shortly after announcing the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has also reportedly canceled the deployment to Germany of a battalion specializing in long-range missiles.
European NATO members remain heavily dependent on the US for key capabilities, including intelligence satellites, long-range missiles, heavy airlift, and undersea warfare capacity, though they have drastically increased their military budgets in recent years on the pretext of a looming Russian threat.
Moscow has condemned the militarization of Europe, arguing that Western governments are using “ostentatious Russophobia” to justify turning the EU into a military bloc and to divert attention away from domestic issues.
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