In a significant shift in military strategy, Donald Trump plans to reduce the number of US fighter jets, warships, and submarines designated for NATO allies in the event of a military crisis in Europe. This decision was disclosed during a confidential briefing in Brussels, catching senior NATO officials off guard, as reported by Der Spiegel and Reuters.
The briefing, led by a military envoy dispatched by Pete Hegseth, unveiled a drastic reduction in the US’s military resources committed to Europe’s defense. Specifically, the number of fighter jets allocated to NATO will be cut by a third. Additionally, the US Navy intends to remove its destroyers from NATO’s collective resources.
Moreover, the US plans to completely withdraw its submarines from NATO’s military assets, as revealed by envoy Alexander Velez-Green in the confidential meeting. This move signals a significant recalibration of the US’s military commitments in Europe.
In light of these changes, European nations will need to maintain their own fleet of reconnaissance drones, a critical asset that has demonstrated its strategic importance in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Velez-Green emphasized that the US remains willing to collaborate closely with those allies who swiftly address the void left by this reduction in American military support. This stance underscores a shift towards encouraging European allies to take a more proactive role in their own defense capabilities.
Velez-Green stressed the US is prepared to cooperate closely only with allies who move quickly to plug the gaps left by Washington’s drawdown.
Some officials in the secret meeting interpreted the message as an indirect threat, according to Der Spiegel.
The Daily Mail has contacted the White House and the Pentagon for comment.
Donald Trump is set to slash a huge arsenal of military defense reserved for NATO
Hegseth’s envoy stressed that the US is prepared to cooperate closely only with NATO partners who act quickly to close the gaps left by Washington’s scaling back of support
The Trump administration plans to pull all of its submarines reserved for NATO. US submarines are among NATO’s most critical assets in Europe because they are capable of monitoring Russia’s nuclear-armed underwater vessels
The cuts will gut the so-called ‘NATO Force Model,’ the alliance framework for defending Europe drawn up in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It lays out exactly which troops, jets, ships and weapons each member state must hand over to NATO’s Supreme Commander if war breaks out on the continent.
The US accounts for roughly 62 percent of total defense spending across NATO, with an annual military budget of around $980 billion.
Trump has long criticized European allies for failing to spend enough on their own militaries and for not pulling their weight in shouldering the cost of the alliance.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced it would draw down 5,000 troops from Germany over the next six to twelve months.
The move came after Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz slammed Trump’s lack of strategy in the war against Iran.
Ahead of the meeting last week, NATO leaders were prepared for Washington to scale back support but they were reportedly blindsided by the speed of the request, according to Der Spiegel.
Hegseth’s envoy informed them that each member state is expected to bring concrete offers to a ‘Force Sourcing Conference’ in June that spell out exactly which countries will the gaps left by the US drawdown.
The US accounts for roughly 62 percent of total defense spending across NATO, with an annual military budget of around $980 billion
Europe will be responsible for maintaining its own supply of reconnaissance drones, a key weapon on the modern battlefield of Ukraine
At last June’s NATO summit in The Hague, allies bowed to Trump’s demands that they ramp up defense spending to five percent of GDP.
Adding to the mounting tensions between Europe and the US, Hegseth snubbed German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius by jetting off to a major security conference in Singapore rather than meeting his counterpart.
With Hegseth out of Washington, Pistorius scrapped the US leg of his trip altogether and is now spending five days in Canada instead.
As the US prepares to eliminate its supply of submarines to NATO, it leaves open a massive military risk for the continent if its not able to fill the gap left behind by Trump.
US submarines are among NATO’s most critical assets in Europe because they are capable of monitoring Russia’s nuclear-armed underwater vessels.
Critical infrastructure for the west, such as undersea cables and oil pipelines, are safeguarded by the submarines.
