Republicans opposed the Trump administration's plans for command in NATO
Kyiv • UNN
Chairmen of the House and Senate Committees in the United States opposed the Pentagon's plans to reorganize command in Europe, stating the need for coordination with Congress.
Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on Wednesday issued a joint statement criticizing the idea of radically changing the command structure of the U.S. Armed Forces, saying they would "not accept" the changes without coordination with Congress and other agencies, UNN writes, citing The Hill and Axios.
Details
This statement marks one of the first major instances of Republican lawmakers opposing U.S. President Donald Trump during his second term, notes The Hill.
"Republican chairmen on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees fired a warning shot at President Trump on Wednesday, advising him not to interfere with the military structure behind NATO's top command," Axios writes.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) responded to an NBC News article published Tuesday that said the Pentagon was considering dropping its role as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) as part of a restructuring of commands and headquarters.
"U.S. combat commands are the tip of the American combat spear. Therefore, we are very concerned about reports alleging that [the Department of Defense] is considering unilateral changes on key strategic issues, including a significant reduction of U.S. forces stationed abroad, without coordination with the White House and Congress," the two chairmen said.
"We support President Trump's efforts to ensure that our allies and partners increase their contribution to strengthening our alliance structure, and we support maintaining American leadership abroad. As such, we will not accept significant changes to our combat structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combat commanders and the Joint Staff, and cooperation with Congress. Such steps risk undermining American deterrence around the world and detracting from our negotiating positions with America's adversaries," Rogers and Wicker said.
The statement said that the chairmen of the influential committees, which oversee the development of annual military and defense bills, could use the "power of the purse" and other legislative tools to combat such changes if the Trump administration goes further.
Addition
According to NBC, a four-star U.S. general has led NATO's military operations in Europe for 75 years. The current SAUCER, Army General Christopher G. Cavoli, is also the head of U.S. European Command and has overseen support for Ukraine.
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