Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth stated administration officers haven’t any short-term plans to chop U.S. troop ranges in Europe however are dedicated to reviewing American navy posture worldwide to make sure that forces are prepositioned in the best areas.
Throughout a go to to U.S. Africa Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, on Tuesday, Hegseth informed reporters that the US is dedicated to having a presence in Europe, but additionally emphasised that the accountability of securing the area shouldn’t fall on America alone.
“The European continent deserves to be free from any aggression, however it ought be these within the neighborhood investing probably the most in that protection,” he stated. “That’s frequent sense. You defend your neighborhood, and the Individuals will come alongside you in serving to in that protection.”
However for now, Hegseth stated, that method doesn’t embrace slicing U.S. forces within the area.
Throughout his first time period in workplace, President Donald Trump made a number of strikes to cut back the American navy footprint in Europe, together with beginning to shift 1000’s of troops out of Germany in response to arguments with nationwide leaders there.
Roughly 100,000 troops are at present deployed throughout Europe, in line with Protection Division statistics. A couple of-third of that complete are situated in Germany.
Hegseth stated U.S. presence in Europe will partially be dictated by the continuing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which Trump has vowed to settle. And Hegseth referenced Trump’s assertion that NATO international locations ought to spend 5% of their gross home product on protection, a threshold that America doesn’t at present meet (the U.S. spends about 3.4%).
“America will probably be good to watch, plan, prioritize and undertaking energy the place we have to deter battle,” Hegseth stated. “We don’t need battle with China. … Peace by power is the way you deter that.”
Hegseth stated the drive posture evaluate would additionally embrace U.S. troop ranges in Africa and different probably contentious areas.
“[The president] has been very clear that we’re not making an attempt to have American boots all around the globe, after we can do counterterrorism successfully over the horizon,” Hegseth stated. “That’s the desire.”
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White Home for Army Occasions. He has lined Washington, D.C. since 2004, specializing in navy personnel and veterans insurance policies. His work has earned quite a few honors, together with a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 Nationwide Headliner Award, the IAVA Management in Journalism award and the VFW Information Media award.
