U.S. officials are considering a proposal to withdraw as many as 10,000 troops from Poland and Romania, according to reports.
U.S. and European sources told NBC News that Washington’s defense department was weighing up the removal of around half of the 20,000 troops sent to Eastern Europe in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Any such move would send shockwaves through the region, where politicians have been careful to emphasize the importance of the U.S. military presence in countries on NATO and the EU’s eastern flank, despite President Donald Trump putting the onus on Europe to take more responsibility for its own defense.
Earlier on Tuesday, Poland’s prime minister said that a decision to redeploy U.S. troops based at a key supply transit hub for Ukraine did “not mean in any way a reduction of American forces in Poland or in Europe.”
NBC’s report said that the size of the potential withdrawal was still under discussion. Currently, the U.S. is pushing for a general ceasefire in Ukraine, and it seeks to move its focus and resources away from Europe and towards China.
Responding to the reports, the commander of the U.S.’s forces in Europe told a congressional committee that he has “consistently recommended” keeping troop numbers at the same levels as the last few years.
“It’s my advice to maintain that force posture as it is now,” General Christopher Cavoli said.
Asked whether any withdrawal would impact the U.S.’s ability to respond to a crisis in Eastern Europe or a potential conflict with Russia, Cavoli said it would.
“It would increase the amount of time it took to respond. It depends on what forces were hypothetically to be removed, it depends on what kind of actions were required, but clearly moving things to the other side of the Atlantic increases the time-space challenge,” he told representatives.
At the same hearing, Politico reported that Katherine Thompson, the Pentagon’s acting assistant secretary for international security affairs, sidestepped a question on whether defense officials want to keep troops in Europe.
“The department right now is undergoing a global force posture review,” Thompson said. “No decisions have been made at this time.”
However, the Republican chairman of the committee, Mike Rogers, responded by raising concerns about withdrawal reports.
“You should be focused on maintaining the surge posture that we’ve had in Europe since the conflict started,” he told Thompson.
Around 80,000 American troops are stationed in Europe at the moment. In 2022, officials under President Joe Biden’s administration sent an additional 20,000 to the east of the continent, including a 10,000-strong presence in Poland.
Any such move would send shockwaves through the region, where politicians have been careful to emphasize the importance of the U.S. military presence in countries on NATO and the EU’s eastern flank, despite President Donald Trump putting the onus on Europe to take more responsibility for its own defense.
Earlier on Tuesday, Poland’s prime minister said that a decision to redeploy U.S. troops based at a key supply transit hub for Ukraine did “not mean in any way a reduction of American forces in Poland or in Europe.”
NBC’s report said that the size of the potential withdrawal was still under discussion. Currently, the U.S. is pushing for a general ceasefire in Ukraine, and it seeks to move its focus and resources away from Europe and towards China.
General backs current troop levels
Responding to the reports, the commander of the U.S.’s forces in Europe told a congressional committee that he has “consistently recommended” keeping troop numbers at the same levels as the last few years.
“It’s my advice to maintain that force posture as it is now,” General Christopher Cavoli said.
Asked whether any withdrawal would impact the U.S.’s ability to respond to a crisis in Eastern Europe or a potential conflict with Russia, Cavoli said it would.
“It would increase the amount of time it took to respond. It depends on what forces were hypothetically to be removed, it depends on what kind of actions were required, but clearly moving things to the other side of the Atlantic increases the time-space challenge,” he told representatives.
At the same hearing, Politico reported that Katherine Thompson, the Pentagon’s acting assistant secretary for international security affairs, sidestepped a question on whether defense officials want to keep troops in Europe.
“The department right now is undergoing a global force posture review,” Thompson said. “No decisions have been made at this time.”
However, the Republican chairman of the committee, Mike Rogers, responded by raising concerns about withdrawal reports.
“You should be focused on maintaining the surge posture that we’ve had in Europe since the conflict started,” he told Thompson.
Around 80,000 American troops are stationed in Europe at the moment. In 2022, officials under President Joe Biden’s administration sent an additional 20,000 to the east of the continent, including a 10,000-strong presence in Poland.
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