The planned reduction of US military forces in Europe will unfold gradually over several years and will be coordinated closely with NATO allies, according to NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich.
Speaking after a meeting of NATO military chiefs in Brussels, Grynkewich said Washington’s strategy is tied directly to Europe strengthening its own defense capabilities. According to him, the stronger the European pillar within NATO becomes, the less dependent the alliance will be on large-scale American military deployments.
“As the European pillar of the alliance gets stronger, this allows the US to reduce its presence in Europe and limit itself to providing only those critical capabilities that allies cannot yet provide,” Grynkewich said.
The general emphasized that the process would not happen quickly and described it as a long-term transition rather than an immediate withdrawal. “We’re going to stay well-synchronized with our allies moving forward,” he stated, adding that there was no exact timetable because the drawdown would continue “for several years.”
The comments came after US President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw roughly 5,000 American troops from Germany and cancel the deployment of long-range Tomahawk missiles in Europe. Grynkewich said this was the only confirmed troop reduction currently planned “in the near-term.”
