This is definitely a list that will inevitably cause concern among NATO's European members. According to “Die Welt”, US representatives in NATO have handed over a list of 11 items to Brussels - as a kind of warning. It contains detailed information about what military capabilities the Americans will no longer have at NATO's disposal under President Donald Trump in the future. The document also makes it clear that the Americans want to implement the reductions “as quickly as possible”.
The reduction in US commitment mainly affects the so-called “NATO Force Model”. It regulates which parts of the Alliance can be transferred to a front relatively quickly, for example within ten days. Next are the weapon systems, which can be provided for a period of up to 6 months. All member states commit to what they can contribute and within what period.
Fewer planes, drones and warships
It is in this respect that the cuts planned by the US are: they want to reduce the number of older tanker aircraft and completely deprive NATO of modern machines. The number of combat aircraft must also be reduced, as well as drones, and European countries will have to provide what they need themselves. What the US is planning in the area of NATO's naval forces seems particularly drastic: the Americans will no longer provide large numbers of cruiser and destroyer formations.
Commenting on the intentions, the spokesman for German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Colonel Mitko Müller, said: “It has long been clear that the US will reduce its commitment to NATO - that European countries need to do more in this area has been no secret for over three years now.” However, the spokesman cannot name specific numbers, as this debate is internal to NATO.
"The time we have is crucial"
The defense expert for the Social Democrats in the Bundestag, Christoph Schmidt, also did not want to comment on specific numbers in the DW. But according to him, the list was not alarming, but more importantly, how much time the US is giving the Europeans to react.
„We are not just talking about the possible gaps that could open up, but about the time frame in which this should happen. If they give us more than one, two or three years, or if they reduce their capacities over the next five years, they will make it much easier for us than if everything has to be completed in one year."
"The most important NATO meeting in the history of the organization"
There is no doubt that the issue of reducing the US commitment to NATO will be a major topic at the Alliance summit in Turkey on July 7. As will the time that the Europeans will have. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that President Donald Trump will attend the forum in Turkey in person. And he would be “the most important in the history of the organization”.
Then Rubio said a sentence that has already been quoted many times: “We are still a member of NATO, but NATO needs profound changes”. According to him, there are “certain issues that need to be clarified and settled”. Apparently, he is referring to the reduction of the US military in NATO.
Author: Jens Thurau