The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it was withdrawing some 5,000 troops from Europe. File Photo by Sgt. Stephen P. Perez/U.S. Army/UPI | License Photo
May 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. military announced it is withdrawing thousands of troops from Europe and delaying the deployment of thousands more to Poland, prompting NATO officials to publicly reassure allies that the move will not affect the alliance's defense posture.
Though the withdrawal of some 5,000 troops from Germany was announced earlier this month, Defense spokesman Sean Parnell on Tuesday explained the force reduction was to advance President Donald Trump's "America First agenda in Europe and other theaters, including by incentivizing and enabling our NATO allies to take primary responsibility for Europe's conventional defense."
"The department will determine the final disposition of these and other U.S. forces in Europe based on further analysis of U.S. strategic and operational requirements, as well as our allies' own ability to contribute forces toward Europe's defense," Parnell said in a statement.
The withdrawal is responsible for the delay in deploying forces to Poland, Parnell said, while praising Warsaw as "a model U.S. ally."
