The United States is preparing to reduce the military assets it would make available to NATO in a crisis, according to reports, a move that could require Europe to assume more responsibility for its own defense.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom,
The Trump administration plans to substantially scale back the U.S. military capabilities reserved for NATO crisis response, according to a Tuesday report from the German news outlet Spiegel, raising new questions about the alliance’s reliance on American forces.
The reported plan would reduce the number of U.S. fighter jets, warships, strategic bombers, refueling aircraft and other assets available to assist European allies during an emergency. The shift comes as President Donald Trump continues pressing NATO members to spend more on their own militaries and reduce dependence on Washington.
According to Spiegel, an envoy for War Secretary Pete Hegseth briefed senior NATO officials on the proposal during a closed-door meeting at alliance headquarters in Brussels late last week. Reuters also reported that three sources familiar with the matter said the administration had been preparing to inform allies that the United States would shrink the pool of military capabilities committed to NATO during a crisis.
The proposed reductions would affect several major areas of U.S. support. The United States would provide only half the previous number of strategic bombers, according to the reports. U.S. fighter jets made available to NATO would be reduced by one-third, Spiegel reported, citing U.S. envoy Alexander Velez-Green’s remarks during the meeting.
The U.S. Navy would also make fewer destroyers available to the alliance, and Washington no longer intends to provide submarines for NATO use, according to the report. Europe would also be expected to supply its own reconnaissance drones, while the United States would significantly reduce its provision of armed drone models.
The changes would mark a major adjustment to NATO force planning at a time of heightened transatlantic strain. Some European governments have expressed concern that Washington could eventually withdraw from the alliance outright.
Trump has repeatedly criticized European NATO members for what he describes as insufficient defense spending. He has also pledged to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from Germany and has intensified tensions with Denmark through his stated ambition to take control of Greenland, a Danish overseas territory.
The president has also criticized European allies over what he said was inadequate support for reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping during the war on Iran. Trump said he was considering withdrawing from NATO and questioned whether the United States remained obligated to honor the alliance’s mutual defense pact.
The reported reductions would push European members and Canada to take on a larger share of military responsibilities inside the alliance. A NATO spokeswoman told Spiegel there had been an “over-reliance” on the United States in NATO force planning and said increased defense investment by Europe and Canada could allow responsibilities to be reorganized.
Further details are expected at a force generation conference in early June, according to Spiegel.
The German defense ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The proposal reflects the Trump administration’s broader effort to shift more of NATO’s defense burden onto European allies. While U.S. officials have long called for allied governments to increase defense spending, the reported changes would move that pressure from public criticism into concrete military planning by reducing the American assets allies could expect to access in a crisis.
Original article
Comments