The United States announced on Wednesday that it will withdraw some troops from NATO’s eastern flank, though officials stressed the move does not represent a retreat from Europe or a weakening of Washington’s security commitments.
The decision, part of a broader review of US global military deployments, has sparked unease among European allies, who fear it could embolden Russia and signal waning American engagement under President Donald Trump.
“This is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO and Article 5,” the US Army in Europe and Africa said in a statement, referring to the alliance’s collective defence clause.
The Pentagon currently has nearly 85,000 troops stationed in Europe, a figure that has fluctuated between 75,000 and 105,000 since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
According to the US military, an infantry brigade combat team and an airborne division will return to their Kentucky home base without immediate replacement. A brigade typically comprises up to 5,000 soldiers.
“This force posture adjustment will not change the security environment in Europe,” the US Army added, describing the move as a ‘resizing’ effort.
Reports earlier this year suggested Washington was considering a 10,000-troop reduction from Eastern Europe as part of a strategic shift toward the Indo-Pacific, which the Pentagon has called its “priority theatre.”
Romania’s Defence Ministry confirmed the redeployment ahead of Washington’s announcement, describing it as the result of “new US priorities” and the strengthened NATO presence along the alliance’s eastern borders. The affected brigade reportedly includes elements based in Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary.
A NATO official told AFP that the alliance had been notified in advance, calling the adjustment “not unusual.” The official added that the US force presence in Europe remains higher than before 2022 and that Washington’s commitment to NATO remains clear.
Romania’s Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu said that 900 to 1,000 American soldiers will remain in the country to help deter potential threats.
While Romanian bases such as Deveselu, Campia Turzii, and Mihail Kogalniceanu will continue hosting US and allied forces, analysts have warned that the move might send the wrong geopolitical message.
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“Russia will consider that the Black Sea is not so important for American interests in Europe,” said George Scutaru, co-founder of the New Strategy Center, a Romanian think tank.
Security expert Phillips O’Brien, from the University of St Andrews, cautioned that even limited troop reductions could “weaken the security” of NATO’s frontline states.
“Please wake up, Europe the USA will not defend you against Russia,” O’Brien wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, Germany and Poland both key NATO members hosting large US contingents confirmed that their troop levels remain unchanged under the new adjustment.
Despite concerns, the US and its allies maintain that the collective defence architecture of NATO remains intact and that the “resizing” reflects a strategic rebalancing, not a retreat.
