NATO’s eastern European members are moving to offer greater financial support for U.S. forces stationed on their soil, seeking to shape a Pentagon review that could reduce Washington’s footprint on the continent, according to Bloomberg reporting cited by the Japan Times. The initiative reflects concern among allies on NATO’s frontier with Russia and Belarus that a shrinking American presence would weaken deterrence while Russia’s war against Ukraine continues. Eastern governments have already raised their own defense budgets, and the emerging proposal signals a willingness to absorb additional basing costs to keep U.S. troops close to the alliance’s eastern flank.
The Pentagon formally launched its Europe Posture Review on July 28 under Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined the initiative at NATO’s defense ministers meeting the previous month. Allies have been asked to respond to a Pentagon questionnaire as Colby prepares to meet NATO representatives in Brussels next week.
The questionnaire goes beyond traditional burden-sharing measures. According to RUSI, it asks allies about their public support for Trump administration policies and purchases from U.S. defense contractors. The questions have raised concern that Washington could weigh political alignment, operational access and purchases from American defense companies alongside more traditional military and burden-sharing considerations.
Diplomats also warn that unilateral offers from individual eastern allies could trigger competition among members seeking to retain U.S. troops, complicating efforts to develop a coordinated European response to a potentially smaller American military presence.
Of the roughly 80,000 to 100,000 U.S. troops rotating through Europe, more than a third are based in Germany, while Poland and the Baltic states host smaller contingents despite their proximity to Russia and Belarus, according to Bloomberg. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in June that Washington was reducing its contribution to NATO’s force model to meet demands elsewhere, while stressing that the change would not determine what the United States would contribute in an Article 5 conflict.
The Pentagon review is expected to conclude by the end of the year, leaving eastern allies several months to make the case that maintaining U.S. forces close to Russia remains strategically valuable even as Europe assumes more responsibility for its own conventional defense.
