What is the story about?
The United States is drawing up plans to pull back significant military assets from NATO's rapid response pool, according to a Financial Times report,
triggering alarm among European allies already anxious about the threat from Russia.
What's Being Cut?
A list leaked to German newspaper Die Welt lays out the scale of what Washington is proposing. One of the two US aircraft carrier strike groups currently assigned to NATO would be withdrawn, along with every submarine capable of firing cruise missiles like Tomahawks.The proposals go further. The number of P-8 Poseidon aircraft, which hunt enemy submarines, would be reduced. Aerial refuelling planes would drop from 79 to 63. Fighter jet numbers assigned to NATO, covering F-16s and F-15Es, would fall from 153 to 99.
These assets are part of the NATO Force Model, the alliance's bank of forces and equipment that can be mobilised within ten days in a crisis.
Why Is This Happening?
The push comes straight from the top. President Donald Trump has been steering US military focus away from Europe and toward Asia and the western hemisphere. In recent weeks, Washington confirmed it would pull 5,000 troops from Germany and scrap a planned long-range fire battalion deployment there.US European Command chief General Alexus Grynkewich put it plainly, saying there had been an "unhealthy codependence" on American forces within the NATO Force Model and that European allies are now capable enough to carry more of the load themselves.
NATO echoed that line, saying Europe and Canada are investing more in defence and that the balance of responsibility can shift accordingly.
European Allies Left Searching for Answers
Despite the official framing, many NATO members say they still do not have a clear picture of what exactly Washington plans to remove or when. The Financial Times report says allies have been presented with detailed proposals but are still seeking clarification.The timing makes European governments especially nervous. Defence experts and officials across the continent have warned that Russia could move against a NATO member within the next two to three years. German military and intelligence officials have put a potential attack as early as 2029. Latvia's armed forces commander, General Kaspars Pudans, told the Financial Times that Russia could exploit a window before the end of 2028 to strike the Baltic states, partly due to its growing edge in drone warfare.
