WP: Pentagon moves to cut U.S. participation in some NATO groups

US War Minister Pete Hegseth (left) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

The planned reductions to parts of the alliance’s force structure and some advisory groups mark the Trump administration’s latest move to scale back military investment in Europe’s defense, ‘The Washington Post’ reports.

The Pentagon plans to cut its participation in elements of NATO’s force structure and a range of the alliance’s advisory groups, the latest sign of the Trump administration’s drive to scale back the U.S. military presence in Europe, according to multiple officials familiar with the matter.

The impending move will affect about 200 military personnel and diminish U.S. involvement in nearly 30 NATO organizations, including its Centers of Excellence, which seek to train NATO forces on various areas of warfare, these people said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail the U.S. administration’s plans.

Rather than withdraw all at once, the Pentagon intends not to replace personnel as their postings end, a process that could take years, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. U.S. participation in the centers isn’t ending altogether, the people said.

Among the advisory groups facing cuts are those dedicated to the alliance’s energy security and naval warfare, according to three officials.

The Pentagon will also reduce its involvement in official NATO organizations dedicated to special operations and intelligence, two officials said, though one noted that some of those U.S. functions will be shifted elsewhere within the alliance, limiting the move’s impact.

Trump’s provocations have drawn widespread condemnation from European leaders and many lawmakers in Congress, who fear the president risks causing irreparable and unnecessary damage to the NATO alliance.

During a White House news conference, Trump said his administration would “work something out where NATO is going to be very happy and we’re going to be very happy” with regard to Greenland. He added that the United States needs the territory “for security purposes.”

The president’s vow to take control of the territory — despite the Danish government having repeatedly said it is not for sale — has created NATO’s foremost internal crisis in decades. Members of the alliance recently deployed military forces to the island in a bid to demonstrate that they take seriously Trump’s concerns about Greenland’s vulnerability, but the effort has failed to sway the American leader.

Since Trump returned to office, the U.S. military has pulled back from Europe as the administration presses allies there to take greater control of the continent’s collective defense. Last year, for instance, the Pentagon abruptly announced it would withdraw a brigade of troops from Romania and cut security aid programs to the three Baltic nations that border Russia.

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