The Romanian defense ministry announced Wednesday that the U.S. military will halt some rotations of brigades in NATO nations, including Romania's Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, which hosts more than 1,400 U.S. troops and the Army's Garrison Black Sea.
"The decision was expected, as Romania is in permanent contact with its American strategic partner," the Romanian government said in a statement. "The downsizing of the US forces is an effect of the new priorities of the presidential administration, announced in February. The decision also took into account the fact that NATO had strengthened its presence and activity on the Eastern Flank, which allows the United States to adjust its military posture in the region."
About 1,000 U.S. soldiers will remain deployed in Romania to "contribute to the deterrence of any threats and will represent a guarantee of the US commitment to regional security."
The move was rebuked by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chair of the House Armed Services Committee.
"We strongly oppose the decision not to maintain the rotational U.S. brigade in Romania and the Pentagon's process for its ongoing force posture review that may result in further drawdowns of U.S. forces from Eastern Europe," Wicker and Rogers said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
"On March 19, we stated that we will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders and the Joint Staff, and collaboration with Congress," they added.
"Unfortunately, this appears to be exactly what is being attempted. Two weeks ago, President Trump stated that the United States would not be withdrawing U.S. forces in Europe, but instead 'may move some around a little bit,'" the Republican duo said. "The President is right that U.S. force posture in Europe needs to be updated as NATO shoulders additional burdens and the character of warfare changes. But that update must be coordinated widely both within the U.S. government and with NATO."
The administration's decision will affect Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria, Romania's Minister of Defense Ionut Mosteanu said Wednesday during a press conference, adding that the U.S. said at the start of 2025 that they will "focus more" on the Indo-Pacific.
A NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Hill on Wednesday that adjustments to U.S. force posture are not "unusual" and that the U.S. military presence in Europe "remains larger than it has been for many years, with many more US forces on the continent than before 2022."
But Rogers and Wicker said the decision sends the "wrong signal" to Russia when Trump is trying to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to come to the table to negotiate on a potential ceasefire agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
Read the full report at thehill.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment