The US will be removing some troops from Eastern Europe, US and Romanian officials said on Wednesday, a move that’s angered Russia hawks even though the Pentagon is still leaving a substantial number of forces in the region.
US Army Europe and Africa said in a statement that the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division will be redeployed to their home base in Kentucky and will not be replaced. According to Foreign Policy, the brigade has about 3,000 troops in Europe and is stationed across Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and Bulgaria.
“This is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO and Article 5. Rather, this is a positive sign of increased European capability and responsibility,” US Army Europe and Africa said in its statement. “Our NATO allies are meeting President Trump’s call to take primary responsibility for the conventional defense of Europe. This force posture adjustment will not change the security environment in Europe.”
There will still be a significant number of US troops deployed in Eastern Europe after the drawdown, as Romanian officials said that 1,000 US troops would remain in Romania. According to US State Department numbers from January of this year, there are 10,000 US troops in Poland, meaning many will remain under the drawdown plan.
There are also still significantly more US troops in Europe than were there before the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since then, somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000 US troops have been on the continent, depending on rotational deployments.
The Trump administration’s decision, which is seen as an effort to focus more resources on China or the bombing campaign against boats and the push toward war with Venezuela in Latin America, prompted criticism from the Republican leaders of the House and Senate armed services committees.
“We strongly oppose the decision not to maintain the rotational US brigade in Romania and the Pentagon’s process for its ongoing force posture review that may result in further drawdowns of US forces from Eastern Europe,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) said in a joint statement.
“Pulling back US forces from NATO’s Eastern flank prematurely, and just weeks after Russian drones violated Romanian airspace, undermines deterrence and risks inviting further Russian aggression. This decision also sends the wrong signal to Russia at the very moment President Trump is applying pressure to force Vladimir Putin to come to the table to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine,” the lawmakers said.
