NATO Attempts to Fill the Gap in U.S. Military Deployment in Europe

Reference News Network reported on June 19 According to a report by Bloomberg News on June 16, NATO officials are trying to convince people that Europe can cope with the impact of the United States significantly reducing its military commitments to the alliance—despite the lack of some weapons that Washington plans to withdraw and no clear alternatives.

At the European International Defense Exhibition held in the suburbs of Paris, officials responsible for ensuring that allied forces can operate together on the battlefield stated that Europe can compensate for the loss caused by the reduction of U.S. fighter jets and drones with compatible equipment and expanded data sharing.

Thierry Pletret, director of NATO's Standardization Office and a French general, said, “Whether or not the Americans are here, standardization is the solution, not the problem. If we lose a certain number of American aircraft, European allies will fill the gap with similar aircraft or those with equivalent capabilities.”

However, these assurances mask a key issue: not all of the aircraft being cut by the U.S. can be compensated for. The U.S. plans to reduce its commitment of strategic bombers to NATO by 30%—Europe does not have such aircraft and has no related manufacturing plans.

This website previously reported that the U.S. plans to cut up to 100% of reconnaissance and attack drones, about half of naval vessels, and one-third of fighter jets. The U.S. Department of Defense did not respond to requests for comment.

Pletret acknowledged that the timeline for filling the gaps is uncertain, “one year, two years, three years.” But he referred to it as a political issue, not a military one.

NATO officials also refuted claims that the U.S. withdrawal would sever the alliance's digital connections. Gernot Friedrich, responsible for enabling NATO member states to share data and coordinate across domains, stated that space and cyber capabilities have no geographical boundaries and will not be affected by reductions in troops or equipment.

Holger Ziegler, responsible for coordinating the defense industrial production of NATO's 32 member states, said that decades of joint operations have injected resilience into NATO. He stated, “The beauty of it is that you don’t have to buy the same equipment—you have to buy interoperable equipment.”

Informed sources say that European defense ministers have begun discussions on how the European continent can operate without full U.S. support. Officials expect that the U.S. will soon reduce its military support for Europe, although no exact timeline has been announced. (Translated by Qiu Fang)