How Trump overruled Hegseth’s plan to pull troops out of Europe

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleThe Trump administration has reduced US military capabilities available to Nato, with US defence secretary Pete Hegseth having planned further cuts to the US military presence in Europe before the president intervened. Hegseth's planned announcement of these cuts to Nato’s top military chiefs was reportedly shelved after intervention from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior administration officials. Trump has consistently urged Europe to increase its financial contributions to defence, criticising Nato as a 'one-sided' relationship and highlighting the disparity in spending between the US and European allies. In mid-June, Hegseth initiated a six-month review of the US military footprint in Europe, aiming to assess troop levels and bases while encouraging European nations to take on greater responsibility for their own defence. Nato allies have expressed concerns about the pace of US military withdrawal from Europe, especially given Russia's ongoing actions in Ukraine, with an internal memo from Hegseth reportedly indicating limited US support in case of Russian military advances. In fullHegseth ‘prepared huge cuts to US troops in Europe but was overruled by Trump’More bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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