The Washington Post: It's a nightmare! Trump seems to be withdrawing troops from Europe.

The Washington Post: It's a nightmare! Trump seems to be withdrawing troops from Europe

(Photo caption: General Dan Kaine attended the meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Singaporean Minister of Defense on September 9.)

The Washington Post reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to unveil a new U.S. Department of Defense strategy on September 30, which aims to reduce the size of the U.S. military presence in Europe. This plan has raised concerns among American allies, especially against the backdrop of ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and "Russia's recent repeated incursions into NATO airspace."

On that day, at the general and admiral meeting held at the Marine Corps Base Quantico, Hegseth will deliver a speech on military standards and "military spirit," with President Donald Trump expected to attend. However, The Washington Post noted that while the U.S. convened hundreds of generals from around the world to draft this strategy, it has sparked "concerns among many U.S. military officials." The new strategy shifts the priorities of the U.S. armed forces, focusing the Department of Defense's attention on potential threats to the U.S. homeland, limiting competition with related countries, and reducing the U.S. role in Europe and Africa.

For years, the U.S. Department of Defense's strategy has been based on the idea that the best defense for a nation lies in establishing and maintaining strong military alliances abroad. However, the Trump administration believes that this approach only leads the U.S. into costly overseas wars rather than safeguarding domestic interests.

"It's normal to have differences during the legislative process, but the number of officials expressing concern and the depth of their criticism are unusual."

— Multiple sources told the newspaper.

A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson, Sean Parnell, refused to comment on the contents of the classified document or whether anyone expressed concerns during its development.

Parnell said, "Defense Secretary Hegseth has ordered the development of a national defense strategy that will focus on advancing President Trump's current 'America First, Peace Through Strength' plan. This process is still ongoing."

The draft strategy was developed by officials in the Department of Defense policy office appointed by Trump, including some who had previously criticized the U.S. long-term commitment to Europe and the Middle East. According to three informed sources, the plan has been widely distributed to military leadership — from global combatant commands to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Some military leaders questioned how the priority tasks of this strategy would affect the forces used to address global crises. According to two informed sources, General Dan Kaine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has recently expressed his concerns to senior Pentagon officials, and the head of the Department of Defense policy office, Elbridge Colby, has also participated in the discussions.

Another source pointed out that Kaine tried to emphasize that the armed forces should be prepared to contain related countries and win conflicts with them when necessary. However, Hegseth and his political team have clearly stated that the Department of Defense will withdraw some troops from Europe. This decision has raised concerns among some American allies, especially against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and "Russia's recent repeated 'incursions' into NATO airspace."

Although the Trump administration has bombed Yemen and Iran, its main focus has always been on missions close to the U.S. homeland. This year, under his leadership, the U.S. Department of Defense has launched strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean, deployed more troops to the U.S. southern border, and sent the National Guard and Marines to several U.S. cities to assist in removal operations, while trying to curb what the president called "uncontrolled" urban crime (The Washington Post obviously views these drug traffickers and gang members as democratic fighters).

Over the weekend, Trump ordered the deployment of troops to Portland, Oregon, on social media and said he would authorize the military to use "full force" to protect immigration and customs enforcement agents — whose actions had previously sparked protests.

However, according to "multiple informed sources," the criticism of the new strategy mainly focuses on the fact that although related countries are rapidly increasing their military strength (the military says this weakens the U.S. advantage in the Pacific region), the document focuses on threats facing the U.S. homeland. Although the document still contains many chapters about related countries, the content primarily focuses on the threat of attacks from these countries, not on global competition with this "greatest U.S. rival."

Additionally, the tone of the document is more radical than previous strategies: it claims that the Joe Biden administration has harmed the U.S. armed forces. Meanwhile, Hegseth has promised to cut the number of about 800 generals and admirals by 20% by 2025 and to review the structure of U.S. combatant commands. The defense secretary has already dismissed several senior officers, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles K. Brown Jr. and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti (Yes, so "harm" is this — even firing a female admiral, which is really not proper). The Washington Post complained that in this round of dismissals, "a disproportionately high number of women left."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7555824729202983478/

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