US Reduces Support for NATO

The move, reported by Reuters and based on information from three sources familiar with the matter, has been communicated by the Trump administration to several European capitals and would see Washington eliminate around 200 positions from NATO bodies responsible for military planning and intelligence coordination.

The drawdown would eliminate roughly 200 posts, representing about half of the approximately 400 US personnel currently serving within the affected NATO structures. Rather than immediate withdrawals, most of the reductions will occur through attrition, with positions left unfilled as staff rotate out of their roles.

Among the institutions expected to be impacted are the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre in the United Kingdom, the Allied Special Operations Forces Command in Brussels, and Portugal-based STRIKFORNATO, which oversees parts of NATO’s maritime operations. Additional NATO units are also expected to face similar reductions.

Strategic Shift, Not a Full Withdrawal

While the personnel cuts are modest compared to the overall US military footprint in Europe—where around 80,000 American troops remain deployed, nearly half of them in Germany—the move carries symbolic weight.

Sources said the reductions are broadly consistent with the Trump administration’s stated objective of reallocating military and strategic resources toward the Western Hemisphere. However, no official explanation has been provided for why NATO-specific staffing levels were selected for cuts.

The Washington Post first reported the planned reductions.

Greenland Dispute Deepens Alliance Anxiety

European unease has been compounded by Trump’s renewed push to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, raising unprecedented questions about territorial disputes within NATO itself.

In recent weeks, Trump has warned that several NATO members could face US tariffs beginning February 1 over their support for Denmark’s sovereignty over the island. The tariffs are expected to rise further later in the year, prompting EU officials to consider retaliatory measures.

European diplomats have privately warned that any attempt at territorial aggression among NATO allies could fundamentally undermine the alliance.

NATO Downplays Impact, US Silent

Asked about the staffing changes, a NATO official said fluctuations in US personnel levels are not unusual and emphasized that America’s military presence in Europe remains historically high.

“NATO and US authorities remain in close contact to ensure the alliance retains a strong capacity to deter and defend,” the official said.

The White House and the Pentagon declined to comment on the reported changes.

Longstanding Tensions Resurface

The planned reductions arrive during one of the most diplomatically challenging periods in NATO’s 77-year history. Trump previously threatened to withdraw from the alliance during his first term and suggested Russia should be encouraged to target members failing to meet defense spending commitments.

Although he struck a more conciliatory tone in mid-2025—publicly praising NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte after allies agreed to increase defense budgets—recent policy signals have once again unsettled European capitals.

In December, US officials told allies that Europe should assume primary responsibility for NATO’s conventional defense capabilities by 2027, a timeline widely viewed by European governments as unrealistic. A subsequent US national security document reinforced Washington’s intention to prioritize the Western Hemisphere, raising further doubts about Europe’s long-term standing in US defense planning.