BRUSSELS (AP) \u2014 The United States has informed its NATO allies that it will scale back its troop presence along Europe\u2019s eastern border with Ukraine as it focuses on security priorities elsewhere in the world, Romania\u2019s defense ministry said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. Army later confirmed the move, but denied it was a sign of lessened commitment to NATO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Depending on operations and exercises, around 80,000-100,000 U.S. troops are usually present on European soil. NATO allies have expressed concern that the Trump administration might drastically cut their numbers and leave a security vacuum as European countries confront an increasingly aggressive Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The administration has been reviewing its military \u201cposture\u201d in Europe and elsewhere, but U.S. officials have said that the findings of the review were not expected to be known before early next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NATO has recently been bulking up its defensive posture on its eastern flank bordering Belarus, Russia and Ukraine after a series of airspace violations by drones, balloons and Russian aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Romanian defense ministry said that the U.S. decision will \u201cstop the rotation in Europe of a brigade that had elements in several NATO countries,\u201d including at a base in Romania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It said in a statement that about 1,000 U.S. troops will remain stationed in Romania. As of April, more than 1,700 U.S. military personnel were estimated to be deployed there. A brigade usually numbers anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Romania\u2019s Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu said the decision reflects Washington\u2019s shift \u201ctoward the Indo-Pacific\u201d region, and that allied troop numbers would remain above the number before Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur strategic partnership is solid, predictable, and reliable,\u201d he said in a news conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a post on X, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said the U.S. \u201cremains committed to Romania.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur strong presence in and enduring commitment to Europe remains steadfast, including support for Eastern Sentry,\u201d a NATO operation along the eastern flank, he wrote. He did not mention the troop drawdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the war started in 2022, NATO bolstered its presence on Europe\u2019s eastern flank by sending additional multinational battle groups to Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia. Many more European troops are now stationed there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ministry statement said that the U.S. \u201cdecision also took into account the fact that NATO has strengthened its presence and activity on the Eastern Flank, which allows the United States to adjust its military posture in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement later on Wednesday, U.S. Army Europe and Africa said that the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division will return to its base in Kentucky as previously planned but that no other U.S. troops would rotate into Europe to replace it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO and Article 5,\u201d it said, in a reference to the collective security guarantee in the organization\u2019s treaty that an attack on one ally should be considered an attack on all 32.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRather this is a positive sign of increased European capability and responsibility. Our NATO allies are meeting President Trump\u2019s call to take primary responsibility for the conventional defense of Europe,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It insisted that the move \u201cwill not change the security environment in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Government officials in Poland and Lithuania, which lie further north along Europe\u2019s eastern flank, said they had not been informed of any U.S. troop drawdown in their countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked about the move, a NATO official said that \u201cadjustments to U.S. force posture are not unusual.\u201d Under the terms of their employment contract, the official is permitted to speak to reporters but only on condition that they not be named.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The official said that even with this new adjustment, about which NATO was informed in advance, the American \u201cforce posture in Europe remains larger than it has been for many years, with many more U.S. forces on the continent than before 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The official played down any security concerns, saying that \u201cNATO and U.S. authorities are in close contact about our overall posture \u2013 to ensure NATO retains our robust capacity to deter and defend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
___<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, England. Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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