US leaves Europe in uncertainty over defence withdrawal plans

The United States has yet to provide a clear road map regarding its planned military withdrawals from Europe, raising significant concerns among European officials about the future of NATO's defence posture.

In a February press conference, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated, "You can't make an assumption that America's presence will last forever," signaling potential changes to the US military footprint in Europe. However, months later, Washington has not clarified which defence capabilities it plans to remove, leaving European nations in limbo as they struggle to plan for their defence needs, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

A central European official involved in defence planning, speaking anonymously, noted that the US could take up to two years to evaluate which assets to pull out. This delay hampers Europe’s ability to plan for its conventional deterrence, which relies on non-nuclear military capabilities to deter threats.

The US has long been the cornerstone of NATO’s defence strategy in Europe, providing crucial capabilities such as logistics, intelligence, and reconnaissance. General Christopher Cavoli, head of US European Command, confirmed that US troop numbers have dropped to 80,000, down from 100,000 since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Despite this reduction, NATO members are pushing for more autonomy in defense spending.

The European Commission has acknowledged its over-reliance on the US, with political and military officials committing to ramp up defence spending. While US officials have called for NATO members to increase defence budgets, European leaders are focused on filling capability gaps rather than meeting specific spending targets.

However, despite the urgent need for a plan, a US military official, who also spoke anonymously, expressed frustration: “There’s no strategy to any of this,” adding that “mixed signals” from Washington have left Europe uncertain about its future defence responsibilities.

With NATO’s upcoming summit in The Hague in June, European powers are expected to discuss how they will share responsibility for Europe’s defence, with a proposal suggesting Europe could take the reins within a decade. It is estimated that five to ten years of increased spending would be required to develop these capabilities, excluding US nuclear assets.

By Vafa Guliyeva