WASHINGTON, United States: The United States plans to slash the number of fighter jets and warships it provides to Nato in Europe, the New York Times reported on Friday.The reported cutbacks come as European nations race to bolster their defense capacities since Russia´s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 sparked fears that Moscow could attack a Nato country.
US President Donald Trump has called the alliance a “paper tiger” and its members “cowards” in frustration that they have not joined the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Washington plans to reduce the number of fighter jets it supplies to Europe by one third, cut all eight aerial refueling tankers and reduce maritime reconnaissance aircraft, the New York Times reported, citing two unidentified senior European officials.
Other assets to be reallocated include a missile-launching submarine, an aircraft carrier, a group of bomber aircraft and several jets and warships.
AFP has contacted the Pentagon for comment.The US plan includes cutting the number of F-16 and F-15E fighter jets from roughly 150 to 100, reducing maritime reconnaissance aircraft from 26 to 15, and removing all eight aerial refuelling tanker jets it previously made available to Europe, the report said.
The US also aims to redeploy a missile-launching submarine and an aircraft carrier, along with several warships and scores of jets that join the carrier’s missions, the New York Times said, adding that one of two groups of bombers previously assigned for Europe’s defence may also be reallocated.
The US European Command said this month that it would reassess Washington´s contributions to Nato to “ensure Europe takes primary responsibility for its own conventional defence.” US General Alexus Grynkewich accused Europe of “an unhealthy co-dependence” on US forces.
The 32-member Nato bloc was founded in 1949 and its collective security is based on the principle that if one member is attacked, the entire alliance comes to its defence.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Trump will attend a Nato summit in Turkiye in July. Rubio described it as “probably the most important meeting in Nato´s history, because there´s some things that need to be cleared up and fixed.”
US President Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly accused European governments of underinvesting in their militaries and relying too heavily on US protection, while urging both Europe and Asian allies to boost defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP.
