Pentagon cuts Brigade Combat Teams in Europe as Trump pressures NATO on spending

The Pentagon announced Tuesday it is reducing the fig of Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) stationed successful Europe from 4 to 3 arsenic the Trump medication presses NATO allies to summation defence spending.

The determination comes aft President Donald Trump repeatedly said European countries should lend much to their ain defence portion relying little connected the United States. It besides follows the Pentagon’s caller determination to halt a planned rotation of astir 4,000 U.S. troops to Poland.

While the War Department did not specify the fig of troops affected, a BCT typically consists of astir 4,400 to 4,700 soldiers. Officials said the determination would instrumentality unit levels successful Europe to those seen successful 2021.

"This determination was the effect of a comprehensive, multilayered process focused connected U.S. unit posture successful Europe," the Pentagon said successful a statement.

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President Trump is considering pulling troops retired of Germany, Spain and Italy. (Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters:Kirk Frady/Medical Readiness Command Europe)

The section said the determination would temporarily hold the deployment of U.S. forces to Poland, which it described arsenic "a exemplary U.S. ally."

"The Department volition find the last disposition of these and different U.S. forces successful Europe based connected further investigation of U.S. strategical and operational requirements, arsenic good arsenic our allies’ ain quality to lend forces toward Europe’s defense," the connection said.

"This investigation is designed to beforehand President Trump’s America First docket successful Europe and different theaters, including by incentivizing and enabling our NATO allies to instrumentality superior work for Europe’s accepted defense," it added.

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In February, President Trump said helium would nonstop War Secretary Pete Hegseth and different applicable departments and agencies to statesman identifying and declassifying records. (Saul Loeb/AFP)

War Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke Tuesday with Polish Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Pentagon said, adding that the U.S. would stay successful adjacent interaction with Polish officials passim the reappraisal process.

"Poland has shown some the quality and resoluteness to support itself," the section said. "Other NATO allies should travel suit."

The announcement came aft Reuters reported Tuesday that the Trump medication plans to pass NATO allies this week that the United States would trim the subject capabilities disposable to enactment Europe during a large conflict, citing sources acquainted with the matter.

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The determination besides comes days aft the Pentagon halted a planned rotation of astir 4,000 U.S. Army troops to Poland, sparking interest successful Warsaw and disapproval from U.S. lawmakers.

The affected unit, the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, had been scheduled to deploy to Poland and different eastbound flank positions arsenic portion of a regular nine-month NATO rotation.

Around 10,000 U.S. troops are typically stationed successful Poland, astir serving connected rotational deployments lasting respective months. Because the American subject beingness successful Poland relies heavy connected those rotations, the halted deployment raised concerns among Polish officials.

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President Donald Trump spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during the North Atlantic Council plenary gathering astatine the NATO acme successful The Hague connected June 25, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/AFP)

Poland’s lawman defence curate said Warsaw plans to property U.S. officials successful the coming days implicit the Pentagon’s decision.

"We volition inquire questions and I conjecture that we volition get answers," Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski antecedently told Fox News Digital successful an interrogation up of meetings successful Washington with Pentagon officials and members of Congress.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meets with President Donald Trump and Poland's President Karol Nawrocki successful the Oval Office of the White House successful Washington, D.C., connected Sept. 3, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)

Polish officials person continued describing the state arsenic a "model ally" wrong NATO and said they expect subject practice with the United States to proceed expanding.

Fox News Digital's Efrat Lachter and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.