The Pentagon reportedly plans to “significantly scale down” the size of American forces Europe could rely on during a conflict
The administration of US President Donald Trump is reportedly set to tell European NATO members that Washington will reduce the military capabilities it would make available to the bloc in the event of a major crisis, including an attack on a member state.
While the precise 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 May 22 meeting of defense policy chiefs in Brussels, according to three anonymous sources familiar with the matter. Washington 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 is due to take place in Türkiye in July. Despite pushing Europeans to take the lead on conventional forces, Colby previously said that Washington would “strenuously oppose” them 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 American 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 War Secretary 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, even as they have drastically increased their military budgets in recent years under the pretext of a looming Russian threat.
Moscow has repeatedly condemned the militarization of Europe, arguing that Western governments are using what it calls “ostentatious Russophobia” to justify turning the EU into a military bloc and divert attention from domestic crises.
