U.S. Media: A Senior U.S. Military Officer in Europe "Suddenly" Stripped of Command Authority

[Global Network Report, Reporter Li Sa] According to reports from American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and The Hill, the U.S. Army confirmed on the 7th that a senior general responsible for European military operations at the Pentagon, Charles Costanza, commander of the U.S. Army V Corps, has been relieved of his command. This comes nearly two months before the end of his originally scheduled term. ABC described this personnel change as "sudden."

U.S. media reported that the specific reasons for Costanza's removal from command are unknown. This timing coincides with a major restructuring of the U.S. military leadership, but sources indicate that Costanza's removal is unrelated to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's overall reshaping of the military's senior leadership and does not involve political factors.

Since January 2025, the Trump administration has dismissed several senior military leaders and officials. After Austin took office as Defense Secretary, he pushed for large-scale reforms at the Department of Defense, calling for a reduction of at least 20% in the number of active-duty four-star generals. High-ranking U.S. military officials, including then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown, Director of the National Security Agency and Commander of Cyber Command Timothy Hoh, Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti, and Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan, have been dismissed or retired early.

U.S. media introduced that the V Corps is responsible for overseeing U.S. Army forces stationed in Europe and coordinating military operations across Europe. Its role has become increasingly prominent since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, while also managing the scale of U.S. military deployments on NATO's front lines. ABC reported that this year the Pentagon has reduced the scale of U.S. military deployments in Europe, with the most notable being the sudden cancellation of plans to deploy a U.S. force of over 4,000 troops to Poland in May. CNN reported that Austin's decision is related to the U.S. government's pressure on European countries to increase defense spending.