Rubio blocks Hegseth’s plan to announce major US troop cuts in Europe
The US defence secretary was set to announce additional reductions beyond those already affecting Poland and Romania, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio intervened, revealing divisions in the administration.
A blocked announcement
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth intended to travel to Brussels last month to deliver what aides called a bombshell at a NATO defence chiefs’ meeting: the US was preparing further troop cuts that went beyond the cancellation of an armoured brigade deployment to Poland and the previous withdrawal of an infantry brigade from Romania. According to a Wall Street Journal exclusive citing people familiar with the matter, the proposal was shared with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, and other senior officials. They judged it premature, and the plan was nixed before it ever reached the allies.
A year of steady drawdowns
The blocked announcement sits atop a cascade of reductions already underway. In May, the Pentagon withdrew roughly 5,000 soldiers from Germany, a move officials described as a protest over European allies’ level of support for the US conflict with Iran. Shortly afterwards the planned nine‑month rotation of an armoured brigade from Fort Hood, Texas, into Poland, approximately 4,000 troops, was abruptly suspended. Earlier, an infantry brigade had been pulled out of Romania. These steps had already rattled eastern‑flank NATO members.
- US withdraws 5,000 troops from Germany as a signal over allies’ Iran‑conflict support.
- Pentagon suspends deployment of an armoured brigade (4,000 soldiers) to Poland.
- Hegseth’s plan to announce deeper troop cuts is blocked by Rubio; instead, a six‑month posture review is announced at NATO defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
- NATO summit begins in Ankara. Troop levels and defence spending dominate the agenda amid heightened transatlantic tensions.
Strategic shift and internal tensions
Hegseth and his senior policy adviser Elbridge Colby have been the administration’s most forceful advocates for reducing the American footprint in Europe and redirecting resources to the Indo‑Pacific. A Pentagon strategy document published in January signalled precisely that pivot, stating that European countries should assume primary responsibility for conventional defence of the continent. Yet the push has created friction inside the administration. After the June episode, Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, told the Journal:
Secretary Hegseth has ensured his message is aligned with the president’s objectives and agenda and does not wish to limit the president’s decision‑making margin.
Allies on edge ahead of Ankara summit
NATO leaders are set to meet in Ankara next week, and troop levels and defence spending will dominate the agenda. President Donald Trump sharpened his criticism on Thursday, writing on social media:
It is absurd for the United States to persevere in this unilateral path when the relationship is not reciprocal.
Allied officials hope the summit will project unity, but there are fears that Trump’s demands for a 5‑percent‑of‑GDP defence spending target and his threat to sanction countries he considers free‑riders could overshadow the talks. Some NATO planners are already considering dropping plans for next year’s summit in Albania. Meanwhile, the six‑month posture review that Hegseth announced in lieu of immediate cuts will keep the size and timing of any further US drawdown in suspense.
