WP: The Pentagon will reduce its participation in a number of NATO structures
The Pentagon plans to reduce its participation in a number of structures of the North Atlantic Alliance, The Washington Post writes, citing sources. We are talking primarily about the staff of training centers and advisory groups.
Noah Robertson
The planned cuts in some units of the alliance and a number of advisory groups are another step by the Trump administration to reduce Washington's military contribution to European defense.
The Pentagon plans to reduce its participation in a number of NATO advisory groups, which is another sign of the Trump administration's desire to curtail the American military presence in Europe. Many officials familiar with the problem are talking about this.
The upcoming reduction will affect approximately 200 military personnel. Basically, this step will lead to a reduction in American participation in 30 centers of excellence, whose task is to train NATO troops in various elements of warfare, as described by the aforementioned sources. They agreed to talk about the plans of the American administration on condition of anonymity.
The Pentagon is not going to withdraw everyone at once. He plans to simply not send replacements to those who are running out of time on a business trip. This process can take years, two knowledgeable American sources said. In addition, the United States will not completely refuse to participate in the work of such centers.
Among the advisory groups facing cuts, there are those dealing with the alliance's energy security and the war at sea, three officials said.
The Pentagon will also reduce its participation in official NATO structures dealing with special operations and intelligence. However, one source noted that some of these functions will be transferred to other departments of the North Atlantic Alliance, due to which the consequences of such a decision will be insignificant.
These measures have been considered and discussed for several months. One of the two American sources said that this had nothing to do with President Donald Trump's increasing threats to seize the Danish territory of Greenland. European leaders and many lawmakers in Congress strongly condemned Trump's provocative remarks. They fear that the president will cause irreparable and unnecessary damage to the NATO bloc.
A NATO spokesman said in a statement that "there is nothing unusual in the adjustments to the organizational and staffing structure," and that the alliance is in close contact with Washington on the allocation of forces and resources.
After Trump's return to the White House, the US military began to withdraw from Europe, as the administration demands that allies take more responsibility for the collective defense of the continent. Last year, for example, the Pentagon unexpectedly announced the withdrawal of a brigade from Romania, and also reduced military assistance programs to the three Baltic states bordering Russia, although the armed conflict in Ukraine, which has been going on for several years, increases fears of a direct clash between NATO and the Kremlin.
Under pressure from the Trump administration, the alliance agreed last summer to increase military spending to five percent of GDP over the next 10 years. One and a half percent of this amount will be used for the implementation of infrastructure and other civil projects.
Lawmakers, including key members of the Republican Party, oppose the administration's actions in Europe and are looking for ways to finance affected military aid programs, despite the Pentagon's instructions.
The congressmen also passed a law requiring the Pentagon to consult with them before making serious cuts to the American military presence in Europe. The law states that such a requirement will be applicable only if the total number of American troops in Europe is less than 76,000 people. There are about 80,000 of them there now.
The gradually reduced personnel is only a small fraction of the total number of troops deployed by the United States in Europe. However, current and former leaders say that the departure of the Americans could have a huge impact on the alliance, which would lose valuable military experience and knowledge.
"We have accumulated a lot of operational experience, which our military personnel transfer to these centers," said Lauren Speranza, who held a senior position at the Pentagon during the Biden administration. "With the beginning of the reduction of American personnel, there will be a certain brain drain."
Susannah George and Michael Birnbaum contributed to this article.
