The United States is planning sweeping cuts to the military assets it makes available to NATO for crisis scenarios, according to a report from German outlet Der Spiegel published on May 26. The reductions touch nearly every category of conventional military hardware, from fighter jets to submarines, and represent one of the most concrete steps yet in Washington’s push to shift defense burdens onto European allies.
What the cuts actually look like
The numbers, as reported by Der Spiegel, are not subtle. Fighter jets available to NATO in emergency scenarios would be reduced by one-third. Strategic bombers, the kind designed for long-range strikes, would be cut in half.
Naval destroyers earmarked for the alliance would also see reductions. And in the most striking detail: zero submarines would be allocated for NATO use in crisis situations.
The cuts were outlined in a closed-door briefing led by US envoy Alexander Velez-Green to senior NATO officials in Brussels the week before the Spiegel report went public.
