Brussels — The United States has informed its NATO allies that it will reduce the size of its forces Presence of forces The Romanian Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that its forces are along Europe’s eastern border with Ukraine, as part of its focus on security priorities elsewhere in the world.
Depending on operations and training, between 80,000 and 100,000 US troops are typically present on European soil. NATO allies have He expressed his concern The Trump administration may significantly reduce their numbers and leave a security vacuum as European countries confront an increasingly aggressive Russia.
The administration is reviewing its military “posture” in Europe and elsewhere, but US officials said the results of the review are not expected to be known until early next year.
NATO recently strengthened its defensive position on its eastern flank on the borders with Belarus, Russia and Ukraine after a series of attacks. Airspace violations By drones, Balloons And Russian planes.
The Romanian Ministry of Defense said that the US decision “will stop the rotation in Europe of a brigade that includes elements in several NATO countries,” including a base in Romania.
She said in a statement that about 1,000 American soldiers will remain stationed in Romania. As of April, it was estimated that there were more than 1,700 US troops deployed there. The number of a brigade usually ranges from 1,500 to 3,000 soldiers.
Romanian Defense Minister Ionut Mostenu said that the decision reflects Washington’s shift “towards the Indo-Pacific region,” and that the numbers of allied forces will remain higher than the previous number. The Russian invasion is widespread to neighboring Ukraine.
“Our strategic partnership is strong, predictable and reliable,” he said at a press conference.
After the war began in 2022, NATO She strengthened her presence On the eastern side of Europe by sending additional multinational battle groups to Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia. Large numbers of European forces are now stationed there.
The ministry statement said that the US decision “also took into account the fact that NATO has strengthened its presence and activity on the eastern flank, which allows the United States to adjust its military position in the region.”
In response to a question about this move, a NATO official said, “Adjustments to the American force posture are not unusual.” Under the terms of the employment contract, the official is allowed to speak to reporters but on the condition that their names not be mentioned.
Even with this new adjustment, which NATO was informed of in advance, “the US force posture in Europe remains larger than it has been for many years, with more US forces on the continent than before 2022,” the official said.
The official downplayed any security concerns, saying that “NATO and US authorities are in close contact on our overall position – to ensure NATO maintains our strong deterrence and defense capability.”
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McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, England.