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NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that the U.S. decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Europe would not harm the alliance’s defense plans.
This comes as Washington is also expected to reduce the forces it makes available to NATO in a crisis.
Rutte told journalists that the U.S. troop withdrawal involved rotational forces and would not affect NATO’s overall defense planning.
“When it comes to this announcement, the 4,000 to 5,000, it is rotational forces not having an impact on NATO’s defence plans,” Rutte said.
Washington announced this month that it was pulling 5,000 troops out of Germany after a dispute between U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war in Iran.
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The sudden nature of the decision and confusion over whether the reduction would affect Germany or Poland unsettled Europe.
However, the Trump administration had long told European countries that the U.S. was looking to withdraw some forces as it shifts focus to other threats around the world.
“We know that adjustments will take place. The U.S. has to pivot more towards, for example, Asia,” Rutte said.
“This will take place over time in a structured way,” he added.
Trump has criticized Europe over its response to his war with Iran and has repeatedly threatened that he could consider leaving NATO.
The Pentagon said Tuesday that it was reducing the number of U.S. troop brigades in Europe from four to three, bringing the deployment back to 2021 levels.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that a deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland had been delayed rather than canceled.
NATO’s European members are expected to seek clarity from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a meeting in Sweden this week.
They are also expected to try to ease tensions before a NATO leaders’ summit in Türkiye in July.
While the focus has so far been on U.S. forces stationed in Europe, Washington is also expected to announce a reduction in the overall pool of troops it makes available to NATO in case of a crisis.
European diplomats said they expect the U.S. to confirm that it is cutting its contribution to NATO’s force model during a meeting of senior officials in Brussels on Friday.
The NATO force model refers to the number of troops from across the alliance that can be made available to NATO commanders within 180 days if needed.
Rutte said such changes were part of normal alliance planning.
“This is normal business. So this was to be expected. I think it is only right that it happens,” he said.
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