WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS, May 19 - The Trump administration is preparing to inform NATO partners this week that the United States will reduce the pool of forces it would make available to Europe during a major crisis, according to three people familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Under the NATO Force Model, member states designate a set of capabilities that could be mobilized in wartime or other major crises, such as a military attack on a NATO member. While the specific make-up of those wartime forces is kept classified, the Pentagon has decided to markedly pare back the contribution it intends to list for allied activation, the sources said.
The policy shift lines up with President Donald Trump’s insistence that European nations assume primary responsibility for the continent’s security, the sources added. Officials described the announcement that will be delivered this week as a tangible implementation of that approach.
Several practical details remained unclear, including the speed at which the Pentagon plans to transfer crisis-response responsibilities to European partners. The sources said, however, that the United States intends to make the reduction public at a Friday session of defense policy chiefs convening in Brussels.
Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has publicly stated that Washington will continue to employ its nuclear deterrent to protect NATO members even as European allies take the lead on conventional forces. U.S. representation at the Brussels meeting is expected to include Alex Velez-Green, a senior aide to Colby, according to the sources.
Adjusting the NATO Force Model has become a principal focus for Colby’s team as they prepare for the next NATO leaders’ summit, which is scheduled to be held in Turkey in July, one source said. A NATO spokesperson referred requests for comment to the United States. The Pentagon did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Alliance under strain
Allied relations inside NATO are already under significant strain, with some European governments worried that Washington may consider a more extensive withdrawal from the continent. A substantial reduction in the forces the United States would make available during wartime is likely to amplify those concerns, officials and diplomats say.
In recent weeks the administration disclosed plans to remove about 5,000 U.S. troops from Europe, a package that included canceling the deployment of an Army brigade to Poland. That cancellation was widely viewed in Washington as a surprise decision and drew sharp criticism from members of Congress.
One source and another individual familiar with the discussions said aides on Capitol Hill had been briefed on the Pentagon’s intention to narrow its NATO Force Model commitments and that lawmakers were worried about the implications.
Despite the tensions, a senior NATO diplomat said there remained a belief among some in the alliance that the United States would still come to Europe’s aid if it were in trouble.
Political tensions exacerbate concerns
Transatlantic tensions have also been heightened by a sequence of political disputes. The president’s publicly expressed interest in Greenland - a territory of Denmark - has provoked friction. Separately, an ongoing spat between President Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has sharply criticized what he described as the president’s war with Iran, has further complicated relations.
European governments generally contend they are quickly strengthening their armed forces, but they emphasize that building credible conventional capabilities takes time and cannot be achieved immediately.
What happens next
Officials said the Brussels meeting of defense policy chiefs later this week will be the venue where the Pentagon’s intention to reduce its wartime force contributions under the NATO Force Model is formally signaled to allies. How that announcement will be translated into timelines and force posture changes remained an open question in the accounts provided to Reuters.
The decision to scale back the U.S. contribution to the NATO Force Model is being treated as a near-term policy priority by the Pentagon office led by Colby and is feeding into preparations for the July NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey.
The full implications for alliance deterrence planning, regional security, and defense-industrial demand will depend on subsequent operational decisions and how quickly European allies are able to shift their force posture and readiness to cover conventional roles the United States has previously supported.