The Trump administration is considering pulling back around half of the American soldiers now present in Eastern Europe. Romania currently hosts around 3,000 US soldiers, most of them sent after the Russian invasion of Ukraine to serve as a deterrent.
The possible retreat was reported by NBC News and confirmed by six American and European officials. A few days ago, NATO chief Mark Rutte had denied plans for a withdrawal.
The Biden administration sent around 20,000 soldiers in 2022 in Poland, Romania, and the Baltic countries. Half of the total troops were sent to Poland. At the moment, it is not known how many of these soldiers will be removed from the area, but the initial proposal refers to half of the forces sent by Biden.
The Republican Party, now in control of every branch of the US government, has long discussed a reduction in US military presence in Europe. Last month, two American conservative magazines called on the Trump administration to withdraw its troops from the Kogălniceanu Base in Romania, citing the “undemocratic” decision to block Călin Georgescu’s candidacy and the high cost incurred for the base.
The Pentagon has refused to deny or confirm the information transmitted by NBC, and the spokesperson for the National Security Council, Brian Hughes, stated that “the president constantly reviews changes and priorities to ensure he keeps America First.”
The decision to reduce the number of forces in Europe comes at a time when Donald Trump has just announced a record increase in the Pentagon’s budget, which will exceed one trillion dollars for the first time. Budgetary reasons cannot, therefore, be invoked for the withdrawal.
Moreover, a month ago, interim president Ilie Bolojan discussed with French president Emmanuel Macron about a potential increase in French troops in Romania, which could suggest that Romanian authorities have taken into account the risk of an American withdrawal.
Ben Hodges, a retired three-star general who oversaw the Army in Europe, said that the US will “have a lot less deterrent capability” after the retreat but that “Poland obviously is growing its capability, [along with] the Romanians […], but that’ll be a hole that’ll have to be filled.”
Roughly 80,000 American troops are stationed in Europe, and both Democrats and Republicans backed increased presence in the eastern flank after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Trump, however, adopted an extreme appeasement tactic via Russia, and decreased aid to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia is pursuing a major rebuilding and reform of its military, according to a Danish intelligence assessment released in February.
(Photo source: cateyeperspective | Dreamstime.com)
Leave a Reply