It is reported that such a decision was made amid concerns about the presence of Americans in the Old Continent.
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US Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby will meet with ambassadors from the 32 alliance countries in Brussels.
“The United States is consulting with allies as it conducts its force posture review,” a NATO representative said on Wednesday.
Washington began a six-month review in July. The US is urging European countries to take primary responsibility for the conventional defense of their continent.
This step was announced by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, with the US expressing dissatisfaction with European countries’ response to the war with Iran, including restrictions on American forces’ use of bases at the start of the conflict.
According to European diplomats, during this process, the US is questioning countries about their defense spending and their stance on American forces’ use of bases.
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“On Thursday, we need to send a unified European message to show how we are strengthening our capabilities together,” said one diplomat.
“This is not a beauty contest,” he said.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has long pressured Europe to increase defense spending, signaling a desire to withdraw and focus on other challenges, such as China.
The Pentagon has already informed allies that it is reducing the number of forces allocated to NATO defense plans.
Washington also announced in May that it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, but later Trump announced sending the same number of troops to neighboring Poland.
European countries are massively increasing military budgets. In 2025, they agreed to Trump’s demand to allocate five percent of GDP to security-related expenditures by 2035.
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