US declines to provide two types of weapons to NATO

The United States has informed its allies that it will not allocate strategic bombers and more than 50 fighter jets to NATO, according to the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).

The move is intended to increase pressure on European countries, urging them to fill the resulting gaps in the Alliance’s defence capabilities, the report added. The upcoming NATO summit, scheduled for early July, has been identified as a key deadline.

A NATO spokesperson told the newspaper that the Alliance had relied too heavily on U.S. forces and capabilities in the past. The spokesperson noted that as Europe and Canada increase defence spending and develop additional military capabilities, the balance of responsibilities within the Alliance can shift.

The report stated that the withdrawn assets also include naval and air capabilities. Among them are one of two aircraft carrier groups, half of all cruiser and destroyer formations, 11 of 26 maritime patrol aircraft, and all submarines capable of launching cruise missiles such as the Tomahawk. In the air domain, the changes affect one of two long-range bomber formations, 54 of 153 fighter aircraft, 16 of 79 aerial refuelling aircraft, all long-range reconnaissance drones and nearly half of the armed Reaper drones.

Sources within NATO expect the US decision to be only a first step, with additional reductions potentially following in the coming years, including in land forces, as part of efforts to encourage the development of stronger European defence capabilities. 

By Jeyhun Aghazada