US to Withdraw 5,000 Troops from Europe and Reduce NATO Crisis Support Capabilities

May 20, 2026

The Trump administration has announced plans to withdraw approximately 5,000 U.S. troops from Europe, including canceling an Army brigade deployment to Poland, and will reduce military capabilities available to NATO allies during major crises. The Pentagon intends to announce reduced commitments to the NATO Force Model at a May 23, 2026 Brussels meeting ahead of the July NATO summit in Turkey, with Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby's team prioritizing this adjustment. President Trump has demanded European countries assume primary responsibility for continental security, criticizing allies for insufficient military spending, while European nations counter they are rapidly expanding capabilities but need time. The moves have heightened transatlantic tensions already strained by Trump's Greenland ambitions and disputes with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran conflict, raising European concerns about potential full U.S. withdrawal from NATO despite tens of thousands of American troops remaining in Europe.

US troop withdrawal from Europe

▪The Trump administration decided to cancel a deployment of an Army brigade to Poland.
▪The Trump administration announced plans to cut about 5,000 U.S. troops from Europe.

NATO Force Model commitment reduction

▪The NATO Force Model is a framework under which NATO member countries identify a pool of available forces that could be activated during a conflict or any other major crisis, such as a military attack on a NATO member.
▪The U.S. will likely be represented by Alex Velez-Green, a key aide to Elbridge Colby, at the May 23, 2026 Brussels meeting.
▪The Pentagon plans to announce its intention to lessen its commitment to the NATO Force Model at a May 23, 2026 meeting of defense policy chiefs in Brussels.
▪Adjusting the NATO Force Model has emerged as a key priority of Elbridge Colby's team heading into the NATO leaders' summit in Turkey in July 2026.
▪The Trump administration is planning to shrink the pool of military capabilities that the U.S. would have available to assist NATO's European nations in a major crisis.
▪Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has said publicly that the United States will continue to use its nuclear weapons to protect NATO members, even as European allies take the lead on conventional forces.
▪The precise composition of NATO wartime forces is a closely guarded secret.

Trump administration European defense policy

▪Donald Trump and many of his aides have slammed European allies for not spending enough on their militaries and relying on the U.S. for conventional defense.
▪U.S. President Donald Trump has made clear he expects European countries to take over primary responsibility for the continent's security from the United States.

European ally concerns

▪Some European countries are concerned that Washington may withdraw outright from NATO.
▪European allies generally counter that they are rapidly beefing up their military capabilities, but that doing so cannot be done overnight.
▪A senior NATO diplomat said they still believed there is an understanding that the United States would come to Europe's aid if it was in trouble.
▪Aides on Capitol Hill were aware of and concerned about the Pentagon's plans to narrow its commitments under the NATO Force Model.

Transatlantic alliance strain

▪NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the move to reduce U.S. commitments was to be expected as the alliance seeks to end the over-reliance on one ally for its defense.
▪An ongoing spat between Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has sharply criticized Trump's war with Iran, has inflamed transatlantic tensions.
▪Donald Trump's ambition to take control of Greenland, a Danish overseas territory, has further inflamed transatlantic tensions.

Perspective of European allies

▪A senior NATO diplomat expressed belief that the United States would still come to Europe's aid if the continent faced a major crisis.

Perspective of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

▪NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte characterized the U.S. commitment reduction as expected given NATO's goal to end over-reliance on one ally for defense.