The United States plans to reduce the number of personnel stationed at several NATO command centers, a move that could deepen concerns in Europe about Washington’s commitment to the alliance.
As part of the initiative, which President Donald Trump’s administration has announced to several European capitals, the United States will eliminate about 200 positions from NATO bodies that oversee and plan the alliance’s military and intelligence operations, the sources said on condition of anonymity.
Among the bodies affected are the NATO Joint Intelligence Center based in Britain and the Allied Command for Special Operations in Brussels, the sources said. The Portugal-based STRIKFORNATO body, which oversees some naval operations, will also be affected by the elimination of positions, as will several other NATO entities, the sources said.
While the drawdown is small relative to the overall US military footprint in Europe, which totals around 80,000 personnel, the timing is politically sensitive. The alliance is already navigating one of its most diplomatically fraught periods in decades, amid renewed uncertainty over US strategic priorities.
Officials said the staffing changes broadly align with the administration’s stated intention to reallocate military resources toward the Western Hemisphere. However, the move risks reinforcing perceptions in Europe that Washington is scaling back its operational engagement within NATO’s core structures.
The decision comes against a backdrop of rising tensions triggered by President Donald Trump’s revived push to acquire Greenland, an unprecedented prospect of territorial pressure within the alliance. Trump has also recently reposted commentary on social media describing NATO as a threat to the United States, further unsettling European capitals.
A NATO official sought to play down the impact, saying adjustments to US staffing levels are routine and noting that overall US troop levels in Europe remain elevated. Nonetheless, the symbolic weight of the cuts is likely to resonate far beyond their immediate military effect.
Also, ps. Trump is speaking in Davos on Wednesday, January 21, 2026
