US plans major military assets reduction assigned to NATO

• Fighter jet presence to fall from 150 to 100
• Tankers and a carrier strike group set for redeployment
• Move follows pressure on allies to boost defense spending to 3.5% of GDP

The United States plans to significantly reduce the volume of military aircraft and warships it makes available for NATO operations in Europe, according to a report published by the New York Times on Friday.

Citing two senior European officials, the report warns that the American drawdown will severely limit NATO's capacity to launch long-range strikes and conduct critical aerial surveillance across the continent.

The decision marks a major shift in transatlantic defense commitments at a time of heightened regional security concerns.

Air, naval capabilities reduced

The blueprint for the drawdown details deep cuts to frontline American combat and support systems previously earmarked for European defense.

According to the report, the United States plans to slash its contribution of F-16 and F-15E fighter jets from roughly 150 aircraft down to 100.

In addition to combat aviation, maritime reconnaissance aircraft will be cut from 26 to 15, and all eight aerial refueling tanker jets assigned to the European theater will be completely removed.

The loss of refueling tankers is expected to heavily restrict the operational range of remaining alliance aircraft.

The maritime cuts are equally severe.

The United States aims to redeploy a missile-launching submarine and an entire aircraft carrier strike group, a move that pulls several warships and dozens of carrier-based fighter jets out of NATO's immediate inventory.

The report added that one of the two heavy bomber groups previously assigned to protect Europe may also be reallocated to other global theaters.

US demands European spending

The Pentagon and NATO headquarters did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the report.

However, the United States Eastern Command issued a statement last week confirming it would "rightsize" its contributions to the NATO Force Model, though officials declined to provide specific numbers at the time.

The drawdown follows previous warnings from May indicating that Washington intended to scale back the military capabilities it would provide to alliance allies during a major security crisis.

The move aligns with the broader foreign policy of US President Donald Trump's administration, which has repeatedly accused European governments of chronic underinvestment in their own national judiciaries and militaries.

Washington has long criticized its partners for relying too heavily on American taxpayer-funded protection, while aggressively pressuring both European and Asian allies to boost their defense spending to a new target of 3.5 percent of their gross domestic product.