Trump Draws A Hard Line On NATO As U.S. Moves To Cut Europe’s Military Safety Net

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON D.C. (Worthy News) – The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to sharply reduce the number of U.S. military assets available to NATO allies in the event of a major crisis in Europe, a move that would place fresh pressure on European governments to shoulder more of their own defense burden.

According to Reuters, citing Germany’s Der Spiegel, senior NATO officials were briefed behind closed doors in Brussels late last week by Alexander Velez-Green, an envoy of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The briefing reportedly outlined a significant reduction in American forces and capabilities assigned to NATO’s crisis-response planning.

Under the reported plan, the number of U.S. fighter jets committed to NATO would fall by roughly one-third, while the United States would provide only about half the previous number of strategic bombers. The U.S. Navy would also make fewer destroyers available, and Washington reportedly no longer intends to provide submarines to the alliance’s crisis-response pool.

The shift would also affect battlefield intelligence and drone operations. Europe would be expected to maintain its own supply of reconnaissance drones, while the United States would scale back the provision of armed drone models, the report said.

The move reflects President Donald Trump’s long-running demand that European allies spend more on their own militaries rather than relying heavily on U.S. forces. Reuters previously reported that the Trump administration planned to inform NATO allies it would shrink the pool of U.S. capabilities available under the NATO Force Model, the framework by which alliance members identify military assets that could be activated during war or another major crisis.

The reported reductions come as NATO faces mounting strains over defense spending, the war in Ukraine, the Iranian conflict, maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, and broader questions about America’s role in European security. Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members for failing to meet defense obligations and has questioned whether Washington should continue carrying a disproportionate share of the alliance’s military burden.

Some officials in the classified Brussels meeting reportedly interpreted the U.S. message as an indirect warning: Europe must move quickly to close the gaps left by Washington’s retrenchment or risk facing future crises with fewer American assets at its disposal.

A NATO spokeswoman told Der Spiegel there had been an “over-reliance” on the United States in NATO force planning and said that, as Europe and Canada increase defense spending, military responsibilities inside the alliance could be reorganized.

The United States is expected to provide more details at a force-generation conference in early June, according to the report.

Latest Worthy News