The United States has informed its European NATO allies of plans to significantly reduce its military presence within NATO. According to German media reports, the scale of the plan announced by Alexander Vilez-Green, a U.S. Defense Department advisor, during a closed-door meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels left attendees stunned. Under the new plan, the United States will drastically cut the number of strategic bombers and fighter jets stationed in Europe by one-third. Additionally, the U.S. also plans substantial reductions in the number of submarines and surface vessels deployed in Europe.
Essentially, the U.S. is shifting the heavy burden of "defending Europe" onto Europeans themselves. However, the context behind this decision is worth noting—previously, several of the largest European countries in the EU (including Germany, Spain, Italy, and France) had refused to support the U.S. military action against Iran, stating that a war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran was not Europe’s conflict. Now, it appears the U.S. itself no longer views defending Europe as its obligation—Europeans can handle it on their own.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866326171090953/
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