U.S. Plans Significant Reduction in Military Assets Provided to NATO in Europe

The Trump administration has communicated to NATO allies a plan to significantly reduce U.S. military assets committed to European defense, including cutting F-16 and F-15E fighter jets from approximately 150 to 100, reducing maritime reconnaissance aircraft from 26 to 15, withdrawing all eight aerial refueling tankers, and redeploying a missile-launching submarine, an aircraft carrier strike group, and potentially one of two bomber task force groups. The New York Times, which first reported the plan citing two senior European officials and a written document, said the cuts would limit NATO's capacity for long-range strikes and surveillance at a time of heightened concern about Russian military activity. U.S. General Alex Grynkewich, NATO's supreme allied commander, acknowledged the reductions and called on European allies and Canada to backfill the gaps with manned and unmanned aircraft and naval vessels, emphasizing a focus on assets that can be 'acquired quickly' such as long-range fires and drones. NATO spokesperson Allison Hart framed the shift positively, saying it would reduce over-dependence on a single ally and put the alliance 'on a more sustainable footing,' while defense analysts noted that the cuts, though individually manageable, could collectively pose challenges to European deterrence readiness. The changes are expected to be a central topic at the NATO summit in Turkey on July 7-8, where Trump is expected to attend, and come amid satellite imagery and intelligence assessments suggesting Russia is expanding military infrastructure along its borders with NATO countries. Sweden's parliamentary defense committee separately warned that a Russian military move to test NATO cohesion could occur 'in the relatively near future,' underscoring the stakes of the U.S. drawdown.