{"id":48374,"date":"2026-05-19T17:09:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T17:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2026\/05\/19\/more-us-troop-withdrawals-from-europe-expected-nato-commander-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:36:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:36:20","slug":"more-us-troop-withdrawals-from-europe-expected-nato-commander-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2026\/05\/19\/more-us-troop-withdrawals-from-europe-expected-nato-commander-says\/","title":{"rendered":"More US troop withdrawals from Europe expected, NATO commander says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PARIS \u2014 Europe should \u201cabsolutely\u201d expect additional United States troop withdrawals in the future as European NATO allies strengthen their capability to provide more of their own<\/a> conventional defense, according to the U.S. general who is the alliance\u2019s top military commander for the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The redeployment of U.S. troops from Europe will be an ongoing process for several years, even if there\u2019s no exact timeline, Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said in a press conference in Brussels on Tuesday, following a meeting of NATO military chiefs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re basically saying is, 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,\u201d Grynkewich said. \u201cSo we should expect there to be a redeployment of U.S. forces over time as allies build their capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remark comes as Polish government leaders expressed concern<\/u><\/a> about the Pentagon abruptly canceling a planned rotation of an armored brigade combat team of more than 4,000 soldiers<\/a> to the country on NATO\u2019s eastern flank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military chiefs discussed the U.S. decision to redeploy the armored brigade combat team, which Grynkewich said doesn\u2019t impact what he called \u201cexecutability\u201d of NATO\u2019s regional plans. He said the U.S. is withdrawing a total of 5,000 troops from Europe, with the armored brigade combat team accounting for a large part, as well as the cancellation of a long-range fires battalion deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grynkewich said planning is ongoing to redeploy \u201cadditional minor elements\u201d accounting for another several hundred troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed animosity towards European NATO members, prompting concern in European capitals about whether American commitments to the alliance still hold. The Pentagon said earlier this month it will withdraw 5,000 troops<\/u><\/a> from Germany, whose Chancellor Friedrich Merz has criticized Washington\u2019s handling of the war with Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The withdrawal of additional troops is a decision for U.S. political leadership, according to Grynkewich. He said the timeline will \u201cvary broadly\u201d across different capabilities as NATO members meet spending commitments<\/a> agreed in 2025 in The Hague and as they meet their capability targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NATO\u2019s top military commander said a lot has happened since 2022, as the Baltic countries, Poland and \u201cmany others have really built up their ground combat power. So there\u2019s substantially more capability in the ground domain than there was previously.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t