Europe says US to withdraw some troops from NATO's eastern flank: Alliance reacts
Kyiv • UNN
Romania reported on US plans to reduce its military presence on NATO's eastern flank, including the Romanian airbase. A NATO representative stated that the Alliance is closely cooperating with the US on force composition, noting that the American presence in Europe remains significant.
Romania stated that the US intends to withdraw some of its troops from NATO's eastern flank, a NATO representative responded that the Alliance is working closely with the US on the composition of forces in Europe, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
Details
"Adjustments to the US force posture are not unusual," a NATO official said after Romania's Ministry of Defense announced that allies had been informed of US plans to reduce troop numbers stationed on Europe's eastern flank.
The Alliance representative added that "even with these adjustments, the US force posture in Europe remains larger than it has been for many years."
NATO and US leadership are working closely on our overall force posture – to ensure NATO maintains our strong deterrence and defense capabilities, and US authorities have informed NATO of these adjustments in advance.
Earlier on Wednesday, Romania's Ministry of Defense announced that Romania and its NATO allies had been informed of US plans to reduce the number of troops stationed on Europe's eastern flank, including personnel who were to be deployed at Romania's Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base. "The American decision is to end the rotation in Europe of a brigade whose units were located in several NATO countries," the country's Ministry of Defense said.
The statement also said that this decision was expected given Washington's changing priorities, but about 1,000 US troops will still remain in Romania.
"The decision also took into account that NATO has consolidated its presence and activity on the eastern flank, which allows the United States to adjust its military posture in the region," the Romanian ministry said. The number of US military personnel was not specified.
Addition
The administration of US President Donald Trump previously told Washington's European allies that they needed to take more responsibility for their own security, as the United States focuses more on its borders and the Indo-Pacific region.
Despite concerns on NATO's eastern flank about a possible reduction in the US presence in the region at a time when Russia continues to wage war in Ukraine, Trump said in September that Washington could increase its military presence in Poland, the publication notes.