The United States seems intent on moving from words to deeds. For weeks there has been talk of a “downsizing” of Washington’s military aid to NATO, with which friction is now the order of the day, but now the US is starting to clarify what it intends to do. The news is the extent of the cuts, communicated during the private meeting of the “defense policy directors” in Brussels. Let’s understand the situation better.
The “drastic cuts”
For months, Donald Trump’s United States has been accusing other countries of not investing enough in defense, leaving the “dirty work” to the United States. And they started talking about cuts, including men and equipment. They have now told NATO allies that they intend to “dramatically reduce” their contribution to the force module expected in the event of a crisis in Europe. The concept is clear: allies must help themselves. According to what was reported by the German Spiegel, this is indeed a considerable cut, which aroused the apprehension of many participants in the meeting. According to the German newspaper, it was Alexander Velez-Green, senior advisor and envoy to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who illustrated the plans to the allies.
There is no precise list yet, but the announcement has been taken seriously into consideration by the allies so much so that, according to diplomatic sources, they are now working on plan “b”. It would not be a total divestment, but a “substantial” one. The point is one: if the US reduces the resources in the field, not being able to leave the territories undefended, someone will have to compensate.
The US seems intent on cutting first its strategic bombers, then a third of its fighters. Also in the balance are aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines. Finally, reconnaissance drones should also be significantly reduced.
There is one however, which is a bit reminiscent of the carrot and stick game. The USA intends to work “closely” with Europe to guarantee the transition and but they also expect “concrete measures” and quickly, something should be moving already by the Defense ministerial on 18 June. According to the president of the NATO Military Committee, Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, who spoke on “Five minutes” on Raiuno, there is not a “decoupling of the USA” from NATO but, if anything, “a more equitable balance that we needed, with a greater assumption of responsibility by the European allies”. We will therefore see whether the allies will be able to turn this “hitch” into an opportunity for rebalancing and strengthening.