The Pentagon Develops New Deployment Plan for U.S. Troops in Europe, Raising Concerns Among NATO European Allies

Reference News Network reported on September 2 According to a report from Spain's El Mundo on August 27, the Pentagon is taking new measures regarding the future military presence of the United States in Europe, which will determine whether Washington will reduce some of its forces, bases, and capabilities provided for NATO defense.

A document obtained by Reuters shows that the Pentagon will submit at least four plans regarding U.S. military deployments to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on November 6 of this year.

NATO allies are concerned that this six-month military deployment assessment announced in June could lead to a significant reduction of the approximately 80,000 U.S. troops stationed in Europe, and it may also penalize those countries that, in Trump's view, did not support the U.S. in its war against Iran.

A "scope of work" document from the Pentagon (the details of which have not been made public previously) outlines the steps that this internal assessment will follow, as well as some criteria for decision-making regarding U.S. military bases in Europe.

According to reports, an important piece of information disclosed in the document is the plan for the top U.S. military commander in Europe to attend a briefing on decision-making with Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby before September 18.

The document states that this briefing is crucial for finalizing the alternatives that will be submitted to Austin.

Reportedly, when asked about the "scope of work," a senior Pentagon official stated that developing a series of detailed alternatives is sufficient to highlight the seriousness of the process.

The official told reporters, "We hope to analyze the pros and cons of different force levels or deployment arrangements."

However, it remains unclear whether these details will convince European officials who are skeptical about the assessment process. These officials privately express concerns that Washington has already made a decision.

Reports indicate that for a long time, the Trump administration has expressed its intention to reduce the military resources allocated to Europe and expects NATO allies to take on more defense responsibilities than ever before.

Trump has also criticized NATO's European allies for their long-standing reliance on U.S. security guarantees, while the support provided during the U.S.-Iran conflict has been far from sufficient. U.S. accusations include that some allies did not allow U.S. aircraft to enter their bases and airspace, or that approvals were too slow.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed some understanding of Trump's disappointment, but he also pointed out that the vast majority of European allies have provided assistance.

A senior Pentagon official, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "President Trump is disappointed with the performance of certain allies in recent months, and this disappointment is reasonable and evident."

When announcing the assessment in June, Austin criticized some NATO allies for "free-riding" and stated that the assessment would ensure that U.S. military access, base stationing, and airspace transit rights (referred to as ABO rights) are clearly defined.

Reports indicate that the "scope of work" for this assessment goes far beyond that.

The document states that in addition to requiring NATO allies to provide reliable ABO rights guarantees, the "scope of work" for this assessment also involves space, cyberspace, and "the intelligence architecture and infrastructure supporting U.S. global power projection."

Reportedly, the "scope of work" also involves assessing other ways allies can provide support, which seems consistent with previous statements from several U.S. officials.

The document states that the Pentagon will seek to determine whether allies have viable ways to fulfill their military spending commitments to NATO and to address capability shortfalls in NATO crisis response forces.

"We are working hard, and time is tight," the official said, "This will be based on a lot of preliminary analysis, which should allow us to move forward more quickly." (Translated by Tian Ce)