Here’s how the Pentagon can rebalance its approach to the continent without sacrificing US interests.
The Trump administration has only just begun to fill its ranks with the political appointees who will flesh out the future of US defense policy. One item sure to be on their agenda is a review of US military deployments around the world, known in Pentagon-speak as a posture review. As part of this process, officials are likely to scrutinize the status of US military forces in Europe.
US President Donald Trump’s first-term policies—and early rhetoric during his second term—indicate that the US military presence in Europe is likely to change fundamentally as a result of the posture review. Over the last 80 years, the United States has played a leading role in conventional defense and deterrence in Europe. But the Trump administration has made clear that Europeans should take on primary responsibility for defending the continent.
There are several plausible reasons for this policy shift. First, the US Defense Department is not immune to the cost-cutting measures unfolding across the federal government. There is a growing sense among some US officials that the United States simply cannot afford to maintain its commitments in Europe if it is to focus on the threat posed by China.