The United States military has begun a review of its troop presence in Europe, with Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s third-ranking official, describing the exercise as a “real review”.
Colby said this in a series of posts on his X account, saying the review was aimed at ensuring that NATO moved swiftly and irreversibly toward Europe assuming primary responsibility for its conventional defence.
He referred to U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, who announced the review during a NATO defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels in June.
Colby, however, did not provide details on the specific aspects of the U.S. military presence that would be examined.
Media reports in June indicated that the review would assess troop levels as well as the number of combat aircraft, drones, tanker aircraft and naval units deployed across Europe.
According to Colby, the exercise is intended to ensure that the U.S. military presence in Europe aligns with current American strategic priorities and reflects prevailing geopolitical and military realities.
He said that the defence strategy unveiled by President Donald Trump in January reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to NATO and its European allies.
The strategy, he added, also made clear that the United States’ primary focus remained defending its homeland and deterring China.
