US to cut air and naval assets deployed for NATO operations in Europe

The United States plans to cut air and naval assets designated to NATO operations in Europe, in another hit to confidence concerning Washington’s commitment to the military alliance.

European officials on Friday backed up a report in The New York Times that the administration of President Donald Trump is set to sharply reduce the deployment of NATO-assigned fighter jets and maritime reconnaissance aircraft, and relocate a submarine, aircraft carrier and several warships.

The plan comes as part of a broader US strategy to draw down its military presence in Europe as it focuses resources on the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas.

Major movements of troops along NATO’s eastern flank have been announced, introducing instability to cross-Atlantic security at time when Europe is increasingly focused on potential Russian military threats.

NATO officials said on Friday that the alliance is aware of some planned US reductions and sought to frame them positively, insisting the pullback will be good for long-term sustainability.

“This change strengthens NATO’s defence plans by reducing over-dependence on one ally and is a reflection of a broader shift happening within the alliance,” NATO spokesperson Allison Hart told the Anadolu news agency.

“This is about putting NATO on a more sustainable footing for the decades to come,” Hart added.

Alternative defence plans

According to the NYT, the US intends to decrease the number of F-16 and F-15E fighter jets allocated to NATO from about 150 to 100, while dropping maritime surveillance aircraft from 26 to 15. Eight aerial refuelling aircraft are also expected to be withdrawn completely.

The report said one of two bomber task force groups previously assigned to European defence would be redeployed to another region, while a missile-capable submarine and an aircraft carrier would also be stationed elsewhere.

The expected cuts – which would affect NATO’s reconnaissance and long-range strike capacity – and further US disengagement have forced NATO to weigh alternative plans for Europe’s defence in the event of a Russian attack.

However, Washington’s erratic plans are making it more complicated for the alliance’s European member states to identify priorities.

“We need to focus on things that we can acquire quickly, that we can field quickly, and that we can scale rapidly and sustain over time, and that goes for long-range fires” as well as drones, said NATO’s supreme allied commander, US General Alex Grynkewich, at an airshow in Berlin on Thursday.

“Those sorts of things can help us mitigate the near-term risk should we find ourselves needing to deter and defend,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly lashed out at NATO, including for what he deems insufficient support for the US-Israeli war on Iran, and described the alliance as a “paper tiger”.

The US president has also accused European governments of underinvesting in their militaries and relying too heavily on US protection, while urging both Europe and ‌Asian ‌allies to boost defence spending to 3.5 percent of GDP.

Trump is expected to attend a NATO summit in Turkiye on July 7-8. His secretary of state, Marco Rubio, described the summit as “probably the most important meeting in NATO’s history, because there’s some things that need to be cleared up and fixed.”