US military footprint in Europe under review, but top general wants it intact

The top U.S. general in Europe said on Tuesday that the United States should keep its military presence on the continent as it is now, as the Pentagon reviews its global footprint under President Donald Trump.The U.S. military has more than 100,000 troops in Europe, but U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told European colleagues that they should not assume that the U.S. presence will last forever.
“It’s my advice to maintain that force posture as it is now,” U.S. Army General Christopher Cavoli told lawmakers during a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
Cavoli said the military had periodically reviewed its troop levels in Europe since 2022 – when Washington poured 20,000 troops into the continent after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – but he had recommended against bringing troop levels down.ALSO READ: US tariff strategy aims to reshore manufacturing, boost jobs, says Scott Bessent

“I have consistently recommended throughout that period to maintain the forces we surged forward, and I would continue to do so if asked,” he added.

European belief in the U.S. as the continent’s ultimate protector against any attack from Russia has been severely shaken by Trump’s attempted rapprochement with Moscow and heavy pressure on Kyiv as he seeks to end the war.The potential changes in U.S. military presence on the continent come amid concerns in Europe about the future of NATO, the transatlantic alliance that has been the bedrock of European security for the past 75 years.

Asked if there were any plans to move forces from NATO’s eastern flank, Cavoli said that troops frequently move around, but, “The principal locations where we have forces right now, that’s where they are, and that’s where I’m planning to keep them.”

Russia’s war in Ukraine has left hundreds of thousands of dead and injured, displaced millions of people, reduced towns to rubble and triggered the sharpest confrontation for decades between Moscow and the West.

During the hearing, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers said it would be a mistake to remove troops from Europe.

Katherine Thompson, who is performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, told lawmakers that the global review was ongoing and would be based on “Trump’s stated interests.”

Ultimately what happens with U.S. forces in Europe will be a decision made by Hegseth and Trump.

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