NATO Commander Says Further US Troop Reductions Expected in Europe

The NATO alliance should expect continued U.S. troop withdrawals from Europe, the U.S. general serving as the alliance’s top military official said on May 19.

Speaking at an alliance press conference on Tuesday, U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich—NATO’s supreme allied commander—detailed ongoing efforts to shift the burden for security in Europe from U.S. forces to more local forces.

“As the European pillar of the alliance gets stronger, this allows the U.S. to reduce its presence in Europe and limit itself to providing only those critical capabilities that allies cannot yet provide,” Grynkewich said. “So we should expect there to be a redeployment of U.S. forces over time as allies build their capacity.”

Grynkewich said the defense chiefs of the various NATO member nations have been advised to expect changes in U.S. troop levels in Europe.

“As for the exact timeline, I mean it’s going to vary broadly across a number of different capabilities as nations meet their spending commitments and meet their capability targets,” he said.

Throughout his second term, President Donald Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly articulated plans to place more of the responsibility for Europe’s defenses onto European actors. This effort has included talk of U.S. forces stepping back in Europe, as well as calls for the NATO alliance to boost its overall military spending.

Trump championed and, last year, secured commitments from the NATO member nations to boost their defense spending from 2 percent of their gross domestic product to 5 percent. That includes a 3.5 percent GDP spending target for core military functions, and an additional 1.5 percent spending target for maintaining infrastructure critical to defense.

While efforts to reduce the U.S. military footprint in Europe are consistent with the administration’s repeated policy statements, recent decisions regarding U.S. troop levels in Europe have come as the president has shared frustration with other NATO members.

On May 1, the Pentagon announced an order to withdraw approximately 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, with the process to take between six and 12 months to complete. The announcement came just days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the United States as being “humiliated by the Iranian leadership.”

Following the announcement of the initial 5,000-troop cut, Trump announced plans for additional U.S. troop reductions in Germany.

“We’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” Trump said on May 2.

Vice President JD Vance faced questions about U.S. troop levels in Europe while speaking at a White House press briefing on Tuesday.

During one exchange, Vance pushed back on characterizations that the United States had ordered a 4,000-troop reduction in Poland, saying recent actions only amounted to a delay in a planned rotation of U.S. troops into the country. Vance also pushed back on the idea that the delayed U.S. troop rotation was intended to punish Poland.

Vance offered further assurances that U.S. forces aren’t leaving Europe entirely.

“We’re not talking about pulling every single American troop out of Europe. We’re talking about shifting some resources around in a way that maximizes American security,” Vance said.