Top US Defense Department officials have begun considering a proposal to withdraw up to 10,000 troops from Eastern Europe.
US President Donald Trump’s policies suggest that the US military presence in Europe is likely to change radically.
There are several plausible reasons for this policy shift.
1. Τhe US Department of Defense is not excluded from the cost-cutting measures being adopted across the federal government.
2. A second possible explanation is that the Donald Trump administration hopes that a reduced US commitment to Europe will be part of a broader improvement in relations with Russia.
Recent interactions between top US and Russian officials – including a lengthy phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin – indicate that the White House hopes to dramatically warm ties with the Kremlin.
A closer US-Russia relationship could encourage Moscow to loosen its ties with Beijing, although he notes that many (including Τhe Liberal Globe) are skeptical of this logic.
Correcting an Imbalance
The Trump administration may clearly see the European Union as an adversary and the NATO alliance as the result of an unfair European and Canadian dependence on the United States.
As U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said at the Munich Security Conference in February, “our European friends must play a greater role in the future of this continent.”
Observers may perceive the reductions in U.S. forces in Europe as correcting this imbalance. The issue, however, is the manner and extent of the American withdrawal.
