Nyt: US set to withdraw a third of its fighter jets and ships from Europe

The US is planning a drastic cut in the number of fighter jets and military vessels available to NATO operations in Europe: according to the New York Times, which reports that specific plans include reducing the number of F-16s and F-15Es on European soil from 150 to 100, and reconnaissance aircraft from 26 to 15, the withdrawal of all eight tanker aircraft and the ‘redeployment of a missile submarine, an aircraft carrier and several warships’. These plans, the New York Times adds, citing two senior European officials, were communicated to the allies in a document at the beginning of June.

The Pentagon — the New York Times adds — has “declined to comment on the specific figures contained in the document” in question, referring instead to a more general statement from its European Command regarding the intention to reduce the US military presence in Europe. Some details of this withdrawal plan had, however, been revealed earlier by Die Welt. US officials have indicated that the reduction in US military assets in Europe will be implemented ‘very soon’, well ahead of the timeline anticipated by European allies, the US newspaper adds. Such a sudden reduction in available forces, it adds, could have consequences for aspects such as NATO’s ability to monitor the movements of Russian submarines or to launch long-range Tomahawk missiles deep into Russian territory.

On 4 June, *Bild* published a list, classified as ‘secret’, revealing which military resources the United States no longer intends to make available to NATO. The list of cuts, which could put Europe – and therefore Germany too – under severe strain, includes tanker aircraft, fighter jets, drones, naval units and bomber formations. According to reports, US representatives had already verbally warned NATO during a closed-door meeting. Reportedly, the reductions are expected to affect the ‘NATO Force Model’ in particular. This model outlines how many and which troops the Alliance can deploy to the front within ten days, between ten and 30 days, and within a maximum of six months. These announcements confirm that the United States is focusing its foreign and security policy on the Pacific. Among the military resources that, according to Bild, Donald Trump’s United States could cut from NATO are drones: as reported, the United States is removing all long-range reconnaissance drones from NATO planning and reducing the number of MQ-9 armed drones by almost half. Such a drastic reduction in these resources would deal a severe blow to Europe, which is in fact only just beginning to significantly boost its capabilities in this sector. The US is focusing its foreign and security policy on the Pacific, a region where, from a military strategy perspective, naval capabilities and air superiority are particularly essential.