The United States is planning to reduce the number of personnel it stations at several key NATO command centers, a move that is likely to heighten European concerns about Washington’s long-term commitment to the alliance, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The decision has been communicated to some European capitals and would see roughly 200 U.S. positions eliminated from NATO bodies responsible for military planning, intelligence coordination, and operational command.
The cuts would affect several high-profile NATO entities, including the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre in the United Kingdom and the Allied Special Operations Forces Command in Brussels, the sources said. STRIKFORNATO, a Portugal-based command overseeing aspects of NATO’s maritime operations, would also lose U.S. personnel, along with a number of other alliance bodies. The sources requested anonymity because the discussions involved private diplomatic exchanges.
While the overall reduction is small compared with the total U.S. military footprint in Europe, the symbolic impact is significant. About 80,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed across the continent, nearly half of them in Germany. Still, the planned staff cuts come at a moment of heightened sensitivity for European allies already uneasy about shifting U.S. priorities and increasingly blunt rhetoric from President Donald Trump.
The sources did not give a specific rationale for the reductions, but said they align broadly with the Trump administration’s stated intention to redirect more military and strategic resources toward the Western Hemisphere. The Washington Post first reported the decision. Rather than immediately recalling personnel, the U.S. is expected in most cases to simply not replace staff as they rotate out of their NATO assignments.
On Tuesday, Trump further fueled unease by reposting a message on social media that identified NATO itself as a threat to the United States, while dismissing China and Russia as “boogeymen.” The repost came as the president prepared to travel to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, underscoring the contrast between diplomatic engagement abroad and confrontational messaging at home.
European anxiety has already been running high following Trump’s renewed push to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO member Denmark. Many European officials see any suggestion of territorial coercion within the alliance as a profound threat to NATO’s credibility and cohesion. Over the weekend, Trump said he would impose tariffs on several NATO countries starting February 1 because of their support for Denmark’s sovereignty over the island, prompting European Union officials to consider retaliatory measures.
A NATO official sought to play down the significance of the staffing changes, saying adjustments to U.S. personnel levels are not unusual and noting that the American military presence in Europe remains larger than it has been in years. The official said NATO and U.S. authorities are in close contact to ensure the alliance retains a strong deterrence and defense posture. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment.
According to one source, about 400 U.S. personnel currently serve within the NATO entities slated for reductions, meaning the planned changes would cut American staffing at those bodies by roughly half. Reuters was unable to obtain a comprehensive list of all the NATO organizations affected.
The timing of the move is particularly sensitive as NATO navigates one of the most diplomatically fraught periods in its 77-year history. During his first term, Trump repeatedly threatened to withdraw the United States from the alliance and argued that Washington should not defend members he deemed insufficiently committed to defense spending. During the 2024 campaign, he went further, saying he would encourage Russia to attack NATO countries that failed to meet spending targets.
Trump appeared to soften his tone in mid-2025, praising NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European leaders after they agreed to increase defense spending at a June summit. That period of relative calm has since given way to renewed alarm. In early December, U.S. officials told European diplomats that Washington wants Europe to assume primary responsibility for most of NATO’s conventional defense capabilities, from intelligence gathering to missile systems, by 2027, a timeline many European officials privately described as unrealistic.
A U.S. national security document released soon afterward reinforced that message, calling for a greater focus on the Western Hemisphere and raising questions about whether Europe will remain a top priority for U.S. defense planning. Against that backdrop, even limited staff reductions at NATO headquarters risk being interpreted as part of a broader retreat.
While the immediate military impact of the cuts remains unclear, diplomats and analysts say their political and symbolic significance is unmistakable. For many European allies, the move adds to a growing sense of uncertainty about the future shape of the transatlantic alliance and whether the United States will continue to serve as its unquestioned anchor in the years ahead.
