The United States (U.S.) is preparing to reduce the number of its personnel in several key NATO command centers, a move that is causing unease across Europe at a time of heightened political and military tensions within the Alliance.
According to media reports, the Trump administration has already informed several European capitals of this plan. Washington intends to eliminate around 200 positions in NATO bodies responsible for military planning and intelligence coordination.
This reduction will cover roughly half of the total 400 U.S. officials currently working within the affected NATO structures. Sources state that this will not involve abrupt dismissals or an immediate withdrawal, but that most of the reductions will be carried out through a process of “natural attrition,” with positions remaining unfilled as personnel complete their regular rotations.
The institutions expected to be most affected include: the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre in the United Kingdom (UK); the Allied Special Operations Forces Command in Brussels; STRIKFORNATO in Portugal, which oversees parts of the Alliance’s maritime operations.
Symbolic weight and strategic shift
Although these staff reductions are modest compared to the overall U.S. military presence in Europe, where around 80.000 U.S. troops are still deployed, nearly half of them in Germany, the move carries significant symbolic weight.
Sources say the cuts are in line with the Trump administration’s declared goal of reallocating military and strategic resources toward the Western Hemisphere. However, no official explanation has been provided as to why these specific NATO positions were selected for elimination.
The planned reduction comes during one of the most diplomatically challenging periods in NATO’s 77-year history. Trump threatened to withdraw from the alliance during his first term, and recent signals from Washington have once again unsettled European leaders.
Tensions over Greenland and tariffs
European concerns have been further heightened by Trump’s renewed push to purchase Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, raising questions about territorial disputes within NATO itself.
Trump recently warned that several NATO members could face U.S. tariffs starting on February 1st due to their support for Denmark’s sovereignty over the island. European diplomats privately warn that any attempt at territorial aggression among allies could fundamentally undermine the Alliance.
Additional pressure is created by a message from U.S. officials from December last year, according to which Europe should assume primary responsibility for NATO’s conventional defense capabilities by 2027, a deadline many European governments consider unrealistic.
Asked about these changes, NATO officials sought to downplay the significance of the decision, stating that fluctuations in the number of U.S. personnel are not unusual.
“NATO and U.S. authorities remain in close contact to ensure that the Alliance retains a strong capacity for deterrence and defense,” an Alliance official said, emphasizing that the U.S. military presence in Europe remains at a historically high level.
The White House and the Pentagon declined to comment on these reports.
