European Allies Fill Gap Left by US NATO Troop Reductions, Says Top Commander

European NATO members have largely compensated for the assets the United States has removed from its contingency plans for a potential war in Europe, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe John Stringer said in a recent interview.

Stringer made the remarks ahead of the alliance’s summit in Ankara next week, where leaders will seek to address recent US announcements indicating a strategic shift away from the continent.

“European allies have definitely stepped up in terms of back‑filling the adjustment in the US forces in Europe,” Stringer said, describing it as evidence of “a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO.”

The United States recently announced substantial cuts to the forces it would deploy to Europe in the event of war or crisis, prompting NATO’s military command to urge European nations to disclose forces they had not yet committed to the alliance.

Stringer, a former Royal Air Force fighter pilot, noted that in areas where Europe cannot provide equivalent forces, it will seek to achieve the same effect with different assets.

Burden‑sharing and burden‑shifting “is now being done in a sensible, proportionate way, absolutely driven by military logic,” he said, emphasizing the readiness of European allies to adapt to the shift in US priorities and commitments.

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