The US military is scaling back its presence in Europe in ways that haven’t been seen since before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered an immediate reduction in NATO-assigned assets and launched a broader review of the entire US force posture across the continent.
What’s actually getting cut
The US is reducing its deployed fighter jets in Europe from roughly 150 to 100, a cut of about 50 aircraft that includes F-16s and F-15Es. Eight aerial refueling tankers are being withdrawn. Surveillance aircraft are dropping from 26 to 15.
Maritime reconnaissance planes are also being pulled. On the naval side, an aircraft carrier, a submarine, and other warships are being reallocated away from European operations.
On the ground, the Pentagon plans to withdraw approximately 5,000 troops from Germany over the next six to twelve months. A planned brigade rotation of about 4,000 troops to Eastern European allies, specifically Poland and Romania, has been canceled outright. Brigade combat team deployments in Europe are set to decrease from four to three.
