Reuters: Pentagon weighs major US troop cuts in Europe

The Pentagon’s review of US military deployments in Europe will produce at least four sets of options for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by November 6, well ahead of a December deadline for completing the assessment, Reuters reports.

The six-month review, launched in June, has raised concerns among NATO allies that it could result in major cuts to the roughly 80,000 US troops stationed across Europe. Some allies also fear countries could face reductions in US military support over what President Donald Trump considers inadequate assistance during the US-Israeli war against Iran.

The Pentagon’s previously undisclosed “Terms of Reference” outline the review process and criteria for evaluating US military basing decisions across Europe.

The document says the top US general in Europe is scheduled to participate in a decision briefing with Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby by September 18. The briefing is expected to help determine the options ultimately presented to Hegseth.

Colby is also expected to discuss the review with NATO ambassadors at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters.

A senior Pentagon official told Reuters that producing a broad range of options demonstrates the seriousness of the assessment.

“We want to be able to talk through the pros and cons of a variety of different force levels or dispositions,” the official said.

The review will assess not only access, basing and overflight rights, known as ABO, but also space, cyber and “intelligence architectures and infrastructure that enable ⁠US global power projection.”

The Pentagon will also examine whether allies have credible plans to meet NATO defense spending commitments and address gaps in the alliance’s crisis forces following previously announced US reductions.

The official said Washington intends to shift toward a model in which European allies assume greater responsibility.

“We are transitioning to provide critical, more limited support with allies in the lead,” the official said.

“President Trump has also been quite rightly and clearly frustrated with ⁠certain allies' behavior in recent months. So there's clearly at least some demand signal to have options that would show us (downgrading) our force levels in Europe,” the official added.

However, the official stressed that the review would not predetermine its outcome.

“We are working very, very hard, and it is a relatively tight timeline,” the official said. “A lot of prior analysis will inform this, which should allow us to move quicker on our end.”

By Vafa Guliyeva