Rutte: US troop withdrawals 'rotational forces,' do not impact NATO defense plans

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday sought to tamp down European fears over pending US troop withdrawals on the continent, saying that the downsizing of the US troop presence in Europe will not harm defensive readiness.

Rutte: US troop withdrawals 'rotational forces,' do not impact NATO defense plans

"When it comes to the announcement, the 4,000 to 5,000… it is rotational forces not having an impact on NATO's defense plans," the military alliance's leader told reporters.

Rutte's comments come after US President Donald Trump's most recent attack on the alliance, which was sparked by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's criticism of the US-Israeli war in Iran.

In response to the German leader's remarks, Trump said the US would immediately withdraw 5,000 US troops from the country — something that is practically impossible and would greatly decrease US power projection as these troops do not primarily protect Germany but rather are stationed as forward operating units ready for deployment mainly in Africa and the Middle East.

Trump Cabinet members including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have sought to clarify confusion over the president's threat to withdraw forces from Germany and later Poland.

On Tuesday, Vance said the deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland had been delayed not canceled. Rubio is set to meet with European NATO members in Sweden this week.

Still, as shocked as European allies seem to be over Trump's threat, the US has been planning to pivot is defenses toward other theaters, mainly Asia, for over a decade.

Rutte touched on this in his remarks, saying: "We know that adjustments will take place. The US has to pivot more towards, for example, Asia. This will take place over time and in a structured way."

The Pentagon, too, addressed the situation, saying it would reduce the number of US troop brigades in Europe from four to three, meaning that troop levels would fall to 2021 levels.

US to make announcement on cutting forces available to NATO during crises

Beyond this, Rutte also addressed expected cuts to the number of forces the US will be willing to contribute to NATO in the event of a crisis. European NATO members expect a US announcement on this at a meeting of senior defense officials in Brussels on Friday.

Rutte said talks on the US contribution to the so-called NATO force model had been ongoing for over a year and were directly tied to dramatic increases in defense spending on the part of European member states.

"This is normal business," said Rutte, "so this was to be expected. I think it is only right that this happens."

Trump has repeatedly accused US military allies of freeloading and has even threatened to leave the US-led alliance, forcing other member states to increase spending and consider how they can best defend themselves amid uncertainty over US reliability.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery