The Romanian Ministry of Defense announced today that the United States has informed its NATO allies that it will reduce the presence of its military personnel on the alliance's eastern flank, as it shifts the focus of its priorities to other parts of the world, world agencies and Romanian media reported, quoted by BTA.
The ministry specified that the decision was expected in view of the changes in the priorities of the government of US President Donald Trump and that about 1,000 American soldiers will still remain in Romania. According to data from April, more than 1,700 American soldiers are stationed in Romania, the Associated Press reports.
Defense Minister Ionut Moșteanu said that even after the reduction in their numbers, the strategic capabilities of American military forces in the United States will remain unchanged. He said that "this is not a withdrawal of American forces, but rather a cancellation of the rotation of a brigade that has elements in several NATO countries, including Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary".
According to him, about a thousand American soldiers will remain at the bases “Deveselu“, “Câmpia Turzii“ and “Cogalnicanu“ and the missile defense at the “Deveselu“ base will remain fully operational.
“The American flag will continue to fly at all three locations. In the base “Koglunicanu“ will remain one air force group, as it was before the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine“, explained Moșteanu.
He added that cooperation between Romania and the United States remains strong, and Washington remains the main supplier of military technology to the country, Agerpres reported.
For his part, Romanian President Nikusor Dan pointed out that the presence of American soldiers in Romania, through a change in the size of the rotational forces operating in the country, is returning practically to the level before the war in Ukraine, but the security of the Eastern Flank will not decrease.
The head of state wrote on the Ex platform that the capabilities to discourage threats on NATO's Eastern Flank are compensated by the substantial addition of military equipment and the increase of European forces in full agreement with American partners.
"The security of Romania and the Eastern Flank will not decrease in any way. The strategic partnership between Romania and the United States remains within the same parameters. The strategic infrastructure jointly developed in “Deveselu“, “Câmpia Turzii“ and “Mihail Kogalniceanu“ will continue to be fully operational, American military personnel will continue to be stationed at these bases, and the transfer of military equipment will continue,” the president added.
Depending on operations and exercises, about 80,000-100,000 American service members are typically deployed in Europe, the Associated Press notes. NATO allies have expressed concern that the Trump administration could drastically reduce their numbers and leave a security vacuum at a time when European countries are facing increasingly aggressive behavior from Russia, the agency also said.
The Trump administration is reviewing its military presence in Europe and elsewhere, but US officials said the results of that review were not expected to be known before early next year.
According to Romanian Defense Minister Ionut Moșteanu, the decision, which Romania learned about on Monday, reflects a shift in Washington's focus "towards the Indo-Pacific region." He also said that the number of troops would remain above that before Russia's full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, with which Romania shares a 650-kilometer border.
Since the start of the war in 2022, NATO has strengthened its presence on Europe's eastern flank, sending additional multinational battle groups to Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia, the AP reminds. Many more European troops are now deployed there.
The Romanian Defense Ministry noted that the US decision also takes into account the fact that the alliance has already strengthened its presence and activities on the eastern flank, which allows the United States to adjust its military presence in the region.
When asked to comment on this decision, a NATO official said that "such adjustments to the number of American troops in Europe are not unusual" and added that NATO and the United States are in close contact on the overall positioning of forces to ensure that NATO maintains a strong defense and deterrence capability, Reuters reported.
"Even with such an adjustment, the presence of US forces in Europe remains larger than it was a few years ago, with many more US troops on the continent than in 2022", the official, who asked not to be named, told Agence France-Presse.
At the same time, the US military in Europe said in a statement quoted by Reuters that the decision not to replace the US soldiers leaving Romania "is not a US withdrawal from Europe".
"This partnership is stronger than ever", wrote US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker in a message posted on social media by the US Embassy in Bucharest. It notes that "the United States remains committed to Romania as a reliable NATO ally, a vital strategic partner, and a driver of security in Europe", Digi 24 TV reported.
"Our solid presence and enduring commitment to Europe remain unwavering, including our support for the Eastern Watch mission", the American diplomat emphasized.