The US Department of Defense will reduce funding for the combat readiness of the US Army in Europe in 2026 by almost 15 times compared to 2023, RIA Novosti reported, citing the department's budget documents.
We are talking about the European segment of the "Army Prepositioned Stock-2" (APS-2) program, which provides American warehouses for prepositioning. Its spending has been reduced for the fourth consecutive year:
in 2023, they amounted to about $495 million;
in 2024 - $251.7 million;
in 2025 - $116.9 million;
next year - $33.4 million.
As stated in the draft budget, the decision is related to the April memorandum of the Pentagon chief, which ordered the army to eliminate obsolete programs, prioritize high-tech projects and transfer APS-2 to the so-called maintenance mode.
The media previously reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing a larger-scale reduction of security programs in Eastern Europe, including limiting the Baltic Security Initiative and funding under Section 333 of the law of The US, which provides for training, intelligence sharing and equipment supplies to the armies of partner countries.
Overall, the cost of the APS program should be reduced from $660.2 million in 2023 to $330.8 million in 2026, which, according to the documents, reflects Washington's strategic shift from Europe to the Pacific region.