NATO alarmed as US accelerates troop withdrawal from Europe, China new priority

The United States is reportedly planning to accelerate the withdrawal of troops from several military bases in Europe. If implemented, this move would not be a routine military adjustment but a signal that Washington is fundamentally shifting its strategic priorities from Europe to the Indo-Pacific.

German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported that the US will present the plan to its NATO allies next month. Washington previously announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany, a nation that has served as the hub of US military power in Europe for decades.

Germany currently hosts around 35,000 active US military personnel, the largest contingent in Europe. Any reduction in US military presence there would be seen as a major shift in the security architecture that has underpinned Europe since the end of World War II.

However, what makes this development particularly significant is the political context behind it.

The Trump administration has increasingly questioned why America should continue bearing most of the defence burden for its allies. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a clear message at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

‘The era of the US subsidising the defence of wealthy nations has ended. We need partners, not protectorates. We seek alliances built on shared responsibility, not dependency,’ Hegseth said, according to Western news agencies.

The statement indicates the issue is not merely about troop numbers but how Washington views NATO’s future. For decades, the US has been Europe’s primary security guarantor. Now, the Trump administration appears intent on ending a relationship perceived as overly burdensome for American taxpayers.

This push is also closely tied to Washington’s ambition to counter China’s rise. In his speech, Hegseth linked increased allied defence spending to the US strategy of redirecting more resources to the Indo-Pacific to counter what he termed China’s ‘hegemony’.

This means the less resources the US allocates to Europe, the more it can focus on strategic competition with Beijing.

Disputes over defence spending are not new. In 2014, NATO members agreed to allocate at least 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) to defence, but many European nations have failed to meet the target for years.