US plans drastic cuts in fighter jets and warships for NATO operations in Europe, says newspaper

Is the strategy of appeasing Trump working for NATO?
The United States plans to significantly reduce the number of aircraft and warships made available for NATO operations in Europe, the American newspaper "The New York Times" reported on Friday (12), citing two senior European officials.
According to the sources, the US plan includes reducing the number of F-16 and F-15E fighter jets from approximately 150 to 100, reducing the number of maritime reconnaissance aircraft from 26 to 15 and remove all eight aerial refueling tankers it had made available to Europe.
In addition to the reductions, the US also intends to relocate a missile-launching submarine and an aircraft carrier, along with several warships and dozens of jets joining the carrier's missions, the New York Times reported.
According to the report, the decision would limit NATO's ability to launch long-range strikes and carry out surveillance.
"Historically, there has been an over-reliance on U.S. forces and capabilities," NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart told Reuters, adding that as Europe and Canada invest more in defense and develop greater capabilities, the balance of responsibilities could shift: "This would strengthen NATO's defense, reducing dependence on a single ally and reflecting a broader shift taking place within the alliance."
U.S. European Command said in a statement last week that it would "downsize" " its contributions to the NATO Force Model, without providing further details.
Sought by the Reuters news agency for comment on the report, the US Department of Defense did not respond to requests for comment.
US will send 5,000 troops to Poland
NATO members and Defense officials expressed perplexity this Friday (22) with the decision of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to send 5,000 American soldiers to Poland.
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The announcement, made by Trump on a social network this Thursday (21), caught allies by surprise, as, just a few weeks ago, he had said he would reduce the presence of US troops on European territory and ordered the departure of 5,000 troops from the continent.
"It's really confusing and not always easy to navigate," Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters at a meeting she organized with her NATO counterparts, including the Secretary of State of the USA, Marco Rubio.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard
Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP
Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were optimistic, but stressed that these issues must be dealt with in a "structured" way.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže stated that the allies knew that the stance of American troops was being reconsidered and that there is now no change in stance.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen stressed that the US is "the most significant and the most important" member of NATO: "The United States is not withdrawing, on the contrary."
US Defense Officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the agency Associated Press news reports also said they were confused.
"We spent almost two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We also don't know what it means," said one of the two officials who spoke to the agency.
During a speech at a meeting with NATO allies, this Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio minimized Trump's contradictions:
"The United States has global commitments and constantly reevaluates the presence of troops. The positioning of Forces is not a political decision."
On Wednesday (20), the NATO's military chief, US Lieutenant General Alex Grynkewich, said "hundreds" of additional soldiers would be transferred to other locations, without giving further details. "We will maintain good synchronization with our allies from now on," he promised.
Trump's announcement
On a social network, Trump stated that the decision is based on the strong relationship between the two countries.
The announcement came after Trump's frequent criticism of European allies, mainly because of the American government's assessment that some NATO countries have given insufficient support to the US offensive against Iran.
"Based on the successful election of the now president of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to have support, and in our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland", published Trump.
The decision was also released a day after the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, stated that Russia's war in Ukraine could lead to a situation in which NATO will have to "react firmly".
This Friday (22), in a post on the social network X, Tusk celebrated the president's decision American:
"I thank everyone involved in this issue, President (of Poland) Nawrocki, ministers, congressmen and Poland's friends in the USA for their effectiveness and unity of action."
US soldiers are seen before the official welcoming ceremony for NATO troops in Orzysz, Poland, in 2017
Wojtek Radwanski/AFP
On Tuesday (19), US Vice President J.D. Vance had told journalists that the deployment of American troops to Poland had been postponed. The statement generated an alert within the Polish government.
The following day, Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, met with an American official. After the meeting, he stated that the US did not intend to reduce its military presence on Polish territory.
Poland says it has become a target of Russian espionage and sabotage because of its central role in sending weapons and military supplies to Ukraine since the start of the large-scale invasion promoted by Russia.
The Polish government plans to allocate 4.8% of GDP to defense this year - the highest percentage among NATO countries - and often highlights that it is a faithful ally of the States United States.
An American official interviewed by Reuters on condition of anonymity said that the decision on Poland could be part of a temporary solution to allow for the reduction of the US military contingent in Germany, where there are currently around 35,000 American troops.
At the end of last year, there were around 85,000 American troops deployed across Europe.
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Source: G1