The President of the Senate Armed Services Commission criticized the leaders of the Pentagon’s “intermediate level” for considering a poorly oriented plan to reduce the number of American troops based in Europe.
“There are those who believe that the time has come to radically reduce our military presence in Europe,” the senator said Roger Wick The audience with the military leaders of the European command and the African command of the United States: “I am concerned about these deeply incorrect and dangerous opinions of some bureaucrats of the intermediate level of the Ministry of Defense,” he said.
It is not clear that “about what the wicker intermediate bureaucrats talked about, but warned that“ they work to force us to abandon Europe and often did this without coordinating with the Minister of Protection. “
Nevertheless, neither the Ministry of Defense nor the Pentagon unveiled any proposals to reduce the levels of forces in Europe.
Criticism of a potential reduction in US support for NATO and Ukraine was a repeating topic during hearing.
Army General Christopher KavoliThe commander of the European command of the United States and the highest commander in Europe, said the potential plan of the Trump administration to give the post of commander in combination with another nation, can create problems to control the nuclear weapons of the United States and tens of thousands of American troops allocated throughout the continent.
The United States General has long held the post of allied commander, a position that controls all the military plans and decisions of NATO. The United States is a country that most contributes to the troops in NATO operation.
“I think this will bring some problems in terms of nuclear command and control. This would put us in a position in which in the situation in accordance with Article 5 we could for the first time since the First World War, a large number of American troops under the non-American command, ”said Kavoli, referring to the collective defense of Article 5, according to which the allied attack was considered an attack by the Allies.
“These are problems that should be considered carefully,” said Kavoli, considering “problematic” any plan in order to abandon the leading role. Kavoli also noted that NATO allies are investing in their armed forces, “at a pace that have not seen from the end of the Cold War,” with a 40% increase in expenses since February 2022.
He also said that the presence of American troops in Europe was necessary for efforts to transform and modernize NATO and is fundamental to the US national defense.
NATO commitment
President Donald Trump and Minister of Defense, Pete has a hegsetThey made it clear that they wanted NAT to do more to protect its own region, and that the United States is more focused on China and the southern border of the United States.
The United States also abandoned its leading role in expanding efforts to coordinate military support to Ukraine and handed over the helm of the British.
Both measures are concerned about the allies who are afraid that the United States is moving away from their long -standing commitment to Europe and NATO.
The number of American troops parked in Europe increased by about 20,000 people during the duration of the democratic predecessor of Trump, Joe Bidenin response to Invasion of Ukraine Russia in February 2022Field
These troops helped with the training of weapons and logistics and reassured the allies on the eastern flank of NATO. Since then, there are about 100,000 military personnel, including the 6th fleet of the fleet, as well as nuclear warheads. The fiery power of the United States provides NATO trust in the ability to define Russia.
NATO allies expressed their concern about any reduction in troops or US support in the region.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Brussels This week, try to convince NATO allies about us to commit an alliance near Trump.
This military guarantee was almost undermined by the Minister of Defense Pit Highset, who took advantage of his first visit to NATO and the Contact Group for the Protection of Ukraine in February to tell the allies that the United States would reconsider the levels of troops for a higher concentration in China.
Hegset told the allies that he was there, “in order to directly and unambiguously express and unequivocally express that strategic realities would prevent the United States from concentrating mainly on European security.”
Trump tried to mediate a peace agreement between Russia And UkraineBut so far these efforts have failed.