Hegseth wanted to announce new reduction of US troops in Europe, but White House stopped decision, - WSJ
The Donald Trump administration has not yet made a final decision on the pace and scale of the reduction in the U.S. military presence in Europe.
According to Censor.NET, The Wall Street Journal reports this.
According to sources cited by the the WSJ, Hagset had planned to travel to Brussels last month to announce, during a meeting with NATO’s top military leadership, that the U.S. was preparing additional cuts to its military presence in Europe, which would go beyond the canceled deployment of an armored brigade to Poland and the withdrawal of an infantry brigade from Romania.
However, Hegset's proposal was rejected after it was brought to the attention of Marco Rubio—President Trump's national security adviser—and other high-ranking officials.
As a result, the head of the Pentagon announced at a meeting of NATO defense ministers that the U.S. would conduct a review of its military presence in Europe, which could last up to six months.
This incident indicates that the administration has not yet decided on the pace and scale of a potential reduction in U.S. troop levels in Europe, the publication notes.
Hegset's proposals and inflammatory remarks have alarmed allies and lawmakers—including some leading Republicans—who fear he will cause lasting damage to NATO and embolden Russia.
"Minister Hegset made sure that his statement was in line with President Trump's goals and agenda. He did not want to limit the president's freedom to make decisions," said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
The issues of U.S. troop levels and allies' defense spending are expected to be key topics during Trump's meeting with NATO leaders in Ankara next week.
NATO hopes that the summit in Ankara will demonstrate unity with the U.S. and support for Ukraine, but at the same time fears that tensions in relations with Trump could negatively affect the leaders’ meeting. Media reports have indicated that Alliance representatives are considering canceling plans to hold next year’s summit in Albania.
The prospect of further reductions in the U.S. military presence in Europe remains a pressing issue. Hegset and his chief policy advisor, Elbridge Colby, are pushing hard to reduce the number of U.S. troops deployed in Europe. Throughout his years working in and outside the Department of Defense, Colby has been regarded as someone who sets priorities and advocates for limiting U.S. commitments outside Asia in order to free up resources to counter Beijing.
The war with Iran gave Hegset and Colby a new opportunity to reconsider the issue of troop deployment. After the German chancellor criticized the Trump administration’s strategy toward Iran, the U.S. president continued to criticize Europe and threatened to withdraw troops from Germany.
These concerns intensified last month when Hegset’s office scheduled a phone call with lawmakers ahead of the June meeting with NATO defense ministers. However, during that call, the Pentagon chief merely noted that he planned to conduct an assessment of the U.S. military presence in Europe. In announcing his plans at the meeting with defense ministers, Hegset once again criticized Europe.
