US plans deep cuts to NATO emergency force commitments, alarming European allies

European nations are anticipating a significant near-term reduction in US military assets available to support the continent during a potential crisis or conflict, including specialized equipment for which there are currently no equivalent European alternatives.

During meetings at NATO’s political and military headquarters, US officials presented plans to substantially reduce their contribution to the NATO Force Model, which defines the personnel and equipment structure dispatched to Europe in emergencies, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions.

A senior Western military official stated that these projected cuts include an approximate 30% reduction in strategic bombers, a capability European nations currently lack.

The same official indicated that the number of reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicles would be cut by 75% to 100%, naval forces would be reduced by approximately 50%, and fighter aircraft would see a reduction of about one-third.

These figures provided by the military official align with details published in a report by The New York Times.

The New York Times report, which cited a document transmitted to allies in early June, detailed more specific parameters of the planned reductions.

According to the document, the number of F-16 and F-15E fighter jets allocated for NATO operations in Europe is projected to fall from 150 to 100, maritime patrol aircraft will decrease from 26 to 15, and all eight aerial refueling tanker aircraft previously designated for the European theater will be completely withdrawn.

Furthermore, the US plans to redirect a cruise-missile-carrying submarine and an aircraft carrier strike group to other regions, while withdrawing one of the two strategic bomber groups currently dedicated to European defense.

Concerned by these plans and the unpredictability surrounding the policies of US President Donald Trump, European allies are already discussing scenarios under which they would have to wage a conflict without US support.

According to Bloomberg’s sources, this issue was a primary agenda item at a meeting of the “European Quint” defense ministers, who discussed how their nations could develop comparable military capabilities using their own resources.

Although the timeline for these reductions has not been officially announced, the process is expected to begin in the near future.

An assessment by The New York Times suggests that the scale-back of US commitments could occur faster than allies expect. Such a shift could limit NATO’s capabilities in conducting long-range strikes, performing maritime reconnaissance, and tracking Russian submarine activity.

Bloomberg noted that the Trump administration has repeatedly called on European nations to take greater responsibility for their own defense.