US to cut some troops on NATO's eastern flank, Romania says
Bucharest and other NATO members were informed about U.S. plans to reduce troop deployments on Europe's eastern flank, the Romanian Defense Ministry said on Oct. 29.
The move comes as part of a broader reassessment of the U.S. military's global presence and reflects Washington's foreign policy U-turn as its alliances faces their most dire security challenge since the Cold War, with Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine fueling concerns about direct attacks on Europe.
"The American decision involves halting the rotation in Europe of a brigade that had units in several NATO countries," the statement read.
The Romanian ministry described the decision as expected, saying that the U.S. had previously communicated its plans to allied countries.
Some of the troops affected were scheduled to be stationed at Romania's Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, a major NATO hub on the Black Sea. Around 1,000 American soldiers will remain deployed on Romanian soil.
It remains unclear how many U.S. troops will be withdrawn.
"The decision also took into account the fact that NATO has consolidated its presence and activity on the eastern flank, allowing the United States to adjust its military posture in the region," the ministry said.
In April, NBC News reported, citing American and European officials, that the U.S. is considering to withdraw up to 10,000 troops from Eastern Europe. This would scale back the temporary surge of 20,000 U.S. troops deployed in 2022 to bolster NATO's eastern flank following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. forces are currently stationed across Poland, Romania, and the Baltic states to deter further Russian aggression and reassure allies bordering in the region.
As Russian escalation toward NATO countries has intensified in recent months, with around 20 Russian drones entering Polish airspace in September, Trump promised to help defend the eastern flank's countries if the tensions continue.
Last month, he also proposed sending additional American troops to Poland.
Kateryna Hodunova
