NATO Doesn't Expect More US Drawdowns  05/20 06:18

   

   BRUSSELS (AP) -- NATO's top military officer said Tuesday that he does not 
expect any more drawdowns of American troops from Europe -- at least not 
anytime soon -- beyond the 5,000 that U.S. President Donald Trump announced 
would leave the continent.

   The remarks by U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich follow Trump's surprise 
announcement of the move early this month, which came as the U.S. leader has 
bickered with allies over the Iran war and called for changes.

   The Pentagon has canceled deployments to Poland and Germany to draw down 
thousands of troops in Europe as opposed to yanking out forces already 
stationed there.

   "It will be 5,000 troops coming out of Europe," Grynkewich told reporters at 
NATO headquarters in Brussels, where top officers from the 32-nation military 
organization met. "lt's all that I'm expecting in the near term."

   Remarks could allay fears of more cuts

   Grynkewich's remarks could allay initial fears that more cuts might be 
coming. The reductions have drawn blowback from both Democratic and Republican 
U.S. lawmakers, who said the move sent the wrong message to close allies and 
that Congress was not consulted about the changes.

   Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Tuesday that the military reduced 
the number of brigade combat teams assigned to Europe from four to three, 
"resulting in a temporary delay of the deployment of U.S. forces to Poland, 
which is a model U.S. ally."

   The Pentagon "will determine the final disposition of these and other U.S. 
forces in Europe based on further analysis of U.S. strategic and operational 
requirements, as well as our allies' own ability to contribute forces toward 
Europe's defense," Parnell said on social media.

   He said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke to Polish Defense Minister 
Wadysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz on Tuesday and that the U.S. will ensure it 
"retains a strong military presence in Poland."

   US military changes surprised allies in Europe

   Trump's announcement blindsided NATO allies and came despite U.S. promises 
to coordinate military moves with its allies and avoid creating security gaps.

   Trump was notably angry at Germany, after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the 
United States was being "humiliated" by the Iranian leadership and criticized 
what he called a lack of U.S. strategy in the war.

   Some 4,000 troops from the Army's 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st 
Cavalry Division are no longer going to Poland as planned, and the deployment 
to Germany of personnel trained to fire long-range rockets and missiles has 
been halted. Much of the detail is still being worked out.

   Some U.S. troops from the brigade bound for Poland were told not to get on a 
plane to Europe shortly before departure. About 1,000 soldiers and 1,700 pieces 
of equipment from that brigade had already arrived in Europe shortly before 
their deployment was canceled, a U.S. military official told The Associated 
Press on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military 
deployments.

   Grynkewich said he spoke earlier in the day to military chiefs from Estonia, 
Latvia, Lithuania and Poland about "some of the options and how we might array 
capabilities on the eastern flank," along NATO's border with Russia.

   Concerns arise about effects on the Baltic states

   The cancellation of the deployment to Poland has wider effects because some 
U.S. troops based in the Baltics, including Estonia, were supposed to come from 
the brigade meant to arrive in Poland, said Jonatan Vseviov, secretary-general 
at Estonia's Foreign Ministry.

   He described the development as "a hiccup," but one that "in and of itself 
is not going to collapse NATO deterrence in the Baltic states."

   Alluding to the sudden decision to pull troops, Estonia's Defense Minister 
Hanno Pevkur told Estonian media Tuesday that "there is not much information" 
about what is happening.

   "What we do know is that U.S. forces are in Estonia and will remain there," 
he said, adding that "no one has told me that any kind of lowering of the U.S. 
flag in Estonia is going to happen."

   Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kstutis Budrys, told AP that the deployment 
of 1,000 U.S. troops to Lithuania is also linked to the canceled rotation. He 
said he viewed any issues connected to the deployment to be a "technical 
issue," which hopefully will be resolved with American troops remaining in 
Lithuania.

   The U.S. military official said officials are looking at how to bridge any 
gaps in the Baltic nations with other forces already deployed in Europe.

   Grynkewich insisted that security in Europe would not be compromised but 
warned that allies should expect more drawdowns in coming years.

   "Over the long term, we absolutely should expect additional redeployments as 
Europe continues to build capability and capacity and step up to provide more 
of the conventional defense of Europe," Grynkewich said.

   "It's going to be an ongoing process for several years," he said, but added, 
"We're going to stay well-synchronized with our allies moving forward."