What is the situation of US troops in Europe?

Brussels/WashingtonA budgetary issue, a nod to Russian President Vladimir Putin, or the confirmation of the worst fears of European partners. The Pentagon will withdraw approximately 10,000 troops from southern Poland, where there is a key logistics hub for the supply of arms to Ukraine. This decision was made with the goal of saving "millions of dollars." The Department of Defense has not made public its planned troop withdrawal date—for security reasons—but the decision further fuels European concerns about the possibility of Donald Trump ending the United States' commitment to the defense of the Old Continent.

On Monday, when the statement was released, the US military insisted that the decision was part of a "long-orchestrated plan to optimize operations while maintaining support for Ukraine and NATO." The troops in question are part of the 20,000 troops deployed by the Biden administration when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The logistics center in Jasionaka, from which the Americans will withdraw, is key to supplying weapons to Ukrainian troops. Now the work carried out by US troops will be taken over by the allies. According to Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz,.

Since World War II, the presence of American soldiers has been permanent, although the number and location have varied. At the height of the Cold War, the American army had around 475,000 soldiers spread across Europe, a figure that fell to less than 100,000 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Currently, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), there are around 70,000 troops spread across the territory of NATO allies.

The US military presence in Europe is concentrated primarily in the eastern countries of the continent geographically close to Russia, especially since the start of the war in Ukraine. Germany is the state with the largest concentration, around 35,000, followed by Poland, where there are around 14,000. It is precisely in this country that it has emerged that the Pentagon is considering withdrawing some 10,000 troops. They are also concentrated in other Russian border countries such as Estonia, Latvia, and Romania.

The soldiers deployed throughout Europe have diverse functions, from training allied forces to military maneuvers, including the supply and use of advanced defense tools. One of the most delicate and decisive tasks for European protection is the management of nuclear weapons, as is the case, for example, in Büchel (Germany). In fact, according to NATO diplomatic sources, no European power currently has the capacity to provide that deterrent power to the entire continent.

The 10,000 soldiers the US wants to withdraw is a significant percentage (14.28%) of the overall total of US troops deployed in Europe. Within Poland, they represent 71% of the US military presence in one of the countries from which the war between Ukraine and Russia is being observed from the border.

Although Polish President Andrzej Duda denied at a press conference last Tuesday that US troops were abandoning European allies in the Atlantic Alliance, alarm bells have been ringing. Not only in Europe, but also in Washington, where the decision threatens to provoke a clash between Trump and the Pentagon hawks. While Duda tried to calm European nerves, in the US Congress, Republican lawmakers and the commander of US forces in Europe openly positioned themselves against the withdrawal of troops from the continent.

"My advice is to maintain the same presence," General Christopher Cavoli, head of the US European Command, told the House Armed Forces Committee. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Cavoli has consistently recommended maintaining the same number of troops. Among the military hawks, there is the same fear as in Europe: that the withdrawal of US troops will strengthen Putin's war ambitions.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) also criticized the idea of reducing the US military presence in Europe, including relinquishing US command of NATO forces there. Rogers accused some members of the Defense Department of trying to divert military resources from Europe and harm national security.

While internally, the military and some Republicans view the Trump administration's moves with suspicion, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte insists that the president maintains a "firm commitment" to the defense of Europe. Rutte rules out a withdrawal of US troops that would leave the security of European allies unprotected.

Despite the promises of Rutte, a close friend of Trump, European allies want to be prepared for the worst, both in the short and long term. Bloomberg reports that they have asked, through NATO, that at least the Pentagon coordinate the potential withdrawal of troops from Europe with the single European states and European armies.

This possibility has put even more pressure on European allies to accelerate rearmament plans and increased military spending with the aim of one day regaining defense autonomy from Washington. In any case, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, does not plan to achieve this goal before 2030, and European allies fear that Trump will not wait to abandon the security that the US has provided to Europe since the end of World War II.