The Romanian Ministry of Defense has announced that the US plans to reduce the number of American soldiers stationed in NATO’s eastern flank, but noted that the decision was not unexpected, writes the BBC.
Bucharest has announced that the number of US troops stationed in Romania will be reduced from 1,700 to about 1,000 soldiers. The reduction in the presence of US forces was expected, and this is because the administration of US President Donald Trump has other priorities.
Romanian Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu announced that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had recently made it clear to Europeans that they should pay more attention to their own defense, and the Americans plan to shift their attention to the Pacific region.
A brigade of US soldiers stationed at Mihail Kogelniciani Air Base will leave Romania, and no other American soldiers will be stationed there. Parts of the brigade are also stationed elsewhere in Romania, as well as in Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary, and it is not known whether the American presence will also be reduced there.
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on the 29th of October that
Warsaw had no information about any reduction in the number of US troops stationed in the country.
Since taking office in January, Trump has made no secret of his desire to shift US forces from Europe to the Pacific, and has repeatedly called on the leaders of NATO’s European allies to take more responsibility for the continent’s defense. However, the announcement of troop reductions in Romania will be alarming to many Eastern European countries, many of which have reason to fear possible Russian attacks.
Shortly after the Bucharest announcement, a NATO official stressed that Washington’s obligations to the alliance are clear and that the changes are not unusual. The official also noted that even with the reduction in the number of American troops in Romania, there is still a much larger US presence on the continent than ever before. According to 2024 data, more than 100,000 US military personnel are currently serving in Europe.
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