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The United States is drawing up plans to significantly reduce the fighter jets, warships and other military assets it has deployed in Europe in support of NATO operations.
The New York Times reported Saturday that Washington conveyed the plans to European allies earlier this month through a formal document.
The document, parts of which The New York Times reviewed, calls for cutting the number of F-16 and F-15E fighter jets stationed in Europe from roughly 150 to 100, reducing maritime patrol aircraft from 26 to 15, and withdrawing all eight aerial refueling tankers.
On the naval side, the US plans to redeploy one missile-carrying submarine, one carrier air wing and several warships that join carrier strike groups, along with dozens of aircraft.
The plan also includes redeploying one of the two bomber squadrons currently assigned to European defense.
The Pentagon has not officially announced a timeline for the reductions, but officials cited by The New York Times indicated the plans would take effect soon.
The moves would accelerate a broader effort to scale back the security umbrella the US has extended over Europe for more than 80 years, the Times said.
US European Command recently notified NATO allies that they would need to fill the gaps left by the drawdown of American assets on their own.
Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander of US European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said in a June 3 statement that "an unhealthy interdependence" had persisted within the NATO Force Model, explaining the rationale behind the decision.
He said he expected European nations and Canada to rapidly increase the number of manned and unmanned military aircraft and warships needed for NATO's defense plans.
President Donald Trump has long accused NATO of free-riding on American military power and demanded that Europe do more to defend itself without relying on US support.
The Trump administration had previously announced only smaller, country-specific withdrawals. The new plan — covering all of Europe — represents a far more sweeping shift in posture.
A sudden reduction in US assets would affect NATO's ability to monitor Russian submarines and, in a crisis, strike deep into Russian territory with long-range missiles such as the Tomahawk, The New York Times said.
Europe has developed similar missile-launch capabilities, but experts say US missiles carry a significantly greater deterrent effect against Russia.
Giuseppe Spatafora, a researcher at the EU Institute for Security Studies, told The New York Times that the reductions, "while manageable individually, together represent a significant posture change and pose challenges to European deterrence readiness across the board."
paq@heraldcorp.com
