Rubio Blocked Hegseth’s Plan for Deeper US Troop Cuts in Europe Before NATO

Senior US officials intervened to halt Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plans for deeper US troop reductions in Europe before the proposal reached NATO leadership in Brussels, according to the Kyiv Post’s report of the Wall Street Journal account.

“Hegseth's plan to slash US troops in Europe was blocked by Rubio before it reached NATO Defense Secretary was prepared to announce sweeping additional troop cuts at NATO headquarters in Brussels, but the proposal was nixed after senior officials, including Secretary of State Rubio, intervened ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prepared a far-reaching plan to announce significant additional cuts to US forces in Europe, intending to deliver the bombshell proposal personally to NATO's top military chiefs in Brussels, but the plan was blocked before it could take effect after it was shared with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior administration officials, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday”

Kurdistan24

The plan would have gone beyond previously announced and later canceled steps, including a canceled deployment of an armored brigade to Poland and the earlier withdrawal of an infantry brigade from Romania, and it was rejected after review by senior officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Kurdistan24

After the internal review, the Pentagon said it would instead conduct a comprehensive assessment of the US military presence in Europe expected to take up to six months, with Hegseth and his top policy aide Elbridge Colby championing a drastic reduction in deployments to Europe.

The Independent also reported that Hegseth “prepared huge cuts to US troops in Europe but was overruled by Trump,” describing the shelving of the announcement after Rubio and other senior administration officials got wind of it.

The Independent added that Hegseth announced a six-month review of the US military footprint in Europe in mid-June and told fellow ministers in Brussels that the review would consider troop levels, military access and look at all US bases across Europe.

Kurdistan24 said Hegseth’s plan to announce significant additional cuts at NATO headquarters in Brussels was blocked after it was shared with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior administration officials.

Kurdistan24 further reported that Hegseth told allied defense ministers the review would examine “America’s core posture and basing in Europe” and warned that the assessment would produce clear winners and losers among the alliance’s 32 member states.

Kyiv Post

The Kyiv Post said the debate over troop levels would be a central focus at the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8, where US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with alliance leaders.

The Independent said Trump blasted the “one sided” relationship with the military alliance ahead of the Nato summit in Ankara next week, and it described the administration as urging Europe to shoulder more of the financial burden as the US shifts focus towards Asia.

The Independent also reported that two US defence officials told the Associated Press that the military was still waiting for clarity from the Pentagon and warned that changes to soldier numbers could cost taxpayers millions.

Even as Hegseth’s broader push for reductions was blocked, the Kyiv Post said negotiations regarding a permanent US military presence in Poland were advancing, with Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirming talks with Washington moved to the next stage after a proposal submitted directly to Hegseth.

“US defence secretary Pete Hegseth planned to announce further cuts to the US military presence in Europe before Donald Trump was forced to intervene, according to a report”

The Independent

The Kyiv Post said Poland currently hosts approximately 10,000 US troops, primarily on a rotational basis, and it described fluctuating Pentagon force posture decisions including a halted planned deployment of 4,000 troops before Trump announced an additional 5,000 personnel would be sent to the country.

The Kyiv Post also said the US announced plans to pull approximately 5,000 troops from Germany and that Trump had previously criticized European allies for insufficient military spending and a lack of support for the US-Israeli war against Iran, previously stating he was considering withdrawing from NATO.

Kurdistan24 said Hegseth used his Brussels visit to criticize European allies for what he described as a “shameful” refusal to grant US forces access to military bases for operations against Iran, and it added that Spain declined to allow the use of its facilities while Britain permitted US bombers to fly missions from one of its bases.

War on the Rocks quoted a defense official complaining, “we don’t know what this means either,” as it described uncertainty about the overall direction of US policy in Europe and the coming NATO summit in early July.