America News Agency

The Pentagon aims to reduce US participation in some NATO groups.

The planned cuts in parts of the alliance’s force structure and in certain advisory groups point to the Trump administration’s latest move to scale back military investments in Europe’s defense.

The cuts are expected to deepen geopolitical risk premiums in Europe and increase uncertainty over defense policy, trade relations, and alliance cohesion.

US and European sources said the Trump administration has informed some European capitals that it will eliminate around 200 US positions from NATO units involved in military planning, intelligence coordination, and special operations.

The reductions are expected to affect units such as NATO’s Intelligence Fusion Centre in the UK, the Allied Special Operations Forces Command in Brussels, and Portugal-based STRIKFORNATO overseeing certain maritime operations.

The changes are expected to be implemented largely through natural attrition, with the US declining to replace personnel as their tours end rather than recalling them immediately. Around 400 US personnel are currently assigned to the affected NATO units, implying a reduction of roughly half.

Although this represents a relatively small reduction compared with the total US military presence in Europe (around 80,000 personnel), the timing is politically sensitive.

Officials said the personnel changes largely align with the administration’s intent to reallocate military resources to the Western Hemisphere, but the move risks reinforcing European perceptions that Washington is reducing its operational involvement in NATO’s core structures.

The decision comes amid rising tensions triggered by the revival of President Donald Trump’s bid to seize Greenland, creating an unprecedented prospect of territorial pressure within the alliance. Trump has also recently reshared comments on social media describing NATO as a threat to the United States, further unsettling European capitals.