US to withdraw forces from Europe; is this the beginning of Trump's 'pulling the plug' on NATO?

The Pentagon has announced a six‑month review of US troop levels in Europe, signaling a shift toward reducing its military footprint and encouraging European allies to assume greater responsibility within NATO. US defense secretary Pete Hegseth told counterparts in Brussels that the US will scale back assets such as fighter jets, reconnaissance drones, and warships earmarked for European crises. Diplomats said about a third of fighter jets and other wartime forces will be withdrawn, creating gaps NATO members must now fill, as reported by the Washington Post. NATO was founded to block Soviet expansion in Europe, prevent the resurgence of nationalist militarism, and encourage European political integration. Its original members included Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK, and the US. The alliance has no standing army but relies on collective military action by member states during international crises. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte clarified that the cuts affect US emergency response contributions, not the existing troop presence, which still numbers in the tens of thousands alongside nuclear deployments. Eastern European leaders continue to stress NATO’s importance against Russian aggression, while Washington presses allies to move beyond what Hegseth criticized as “demilitarisation.” European capitals had anticipated a drawdown but sought clarity after delays in a Pentagon posture review and mixed signals from President Trump, including talk of a 5,000‑troop withdrawal from Germany. The review underscores NATO’s evolving balance of responsibility, according to the same report. The US also has its Sixth Fleet located in Italy, the Third Air Force as well as the US Army Europe co-located in Germany. Many elements of these formations have been forward deployed to West Asia both currently and in the past. The US has recently used its bases in the UK to strike targets in Iran. The United States currently has at least 75,000 troops across the continent. These troops report to the United States European Command (EUCOM). This Stuttgart, Germany based unified command is one of eleven such commands. At its zenith in the 1950s around 4,75,000 American troops were stationed across Europe. As per a report of the US based Council of Foreign Relations the largest contingent of US troops is in Germany with over 38,000 troops, followed by Italy with over 12,000 troops and the UK stands in with a little over 10,000 troops. Poland too has over 10,000 US troops. DW reports that in accordance with NATO's doctrine of nuclear sharing agreement, it is believed that the US keeps around 100 nuclear weapons at the Büchel airbase in Germany. The core of what the United States provides is not simply volume, but integration capacity, including the intelligence architecture, satellite communications, and precision strike capability. Europe was never asked to develop this technology precisely because America developed it for them. European NATO air forces are modernising with growing fleet of fifth-generation aircraft, but their ability to suppress or destroy advanced air‑defence systems remains limited. Shortfalls in electronic warfare, munitions depth and integration mean that without US support, degrading Russian defences would be slower and riskier. Air superiority would emerge only through attrition, localised and sporadic, leaving ground forces exposed.