Europeans have filled most NATO gaps after US cuts, says senior commander

BRUSSELS: European members of Nato have made up most of the shortfall created by recent US reductions to reinforcement plans for a possible conflict in Europe, the alliance’s deputy supreme allied commander Europe said in an interview.

Speaking to Bloomberg on Friday, John Stringer said European allies had responded to the change in American force commitments by identifying additional contributions of their own. He said the shift reflected a broader strengthening of Europe’s role within the alliance.

Stringer said, "European allies have definitely stepped up in terms of backfilling the adjustment in the US forces in Europe."

He added that this demonstrated "a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO".

The comments came after the United States announced major cuts to the forces it would send to Europe in the event of war or a large-scale crisis. Nato’s military leadership then asked European allies to set out what additional troops and capabilities they could provide to cover the gap.

Stringer, a former Royal Air Force fighter pilot, said that in areas where European countries could not offer the same capabilities as the United States, they would try to deliver the same military effect through other assets.

Rebalancing alliance roles

He said the process of shifting responsibilities within the alliance was being handled in a measured way and based on operational requirements rather than politics.

Stringer said, "is now being done in a sensible, proportionate way, absolutely driven by military logic."

He also said European allies were prepared to adjust to evolving US priorities and commitments. According to Stringer, the need to redistribute burdens inside Nato has been apparent for years, and European members have gradually increased what they contribute.

The issue of burden-sharing was also raised again by US President Donald Trump on Thursday. On his Truth Social platform, Trump criticised European Nato allies, saying they were not contributing enough to defence and that the United States was carrying too much of the load.

Trump described it as "ridiculous" for the US to continue what he called a "one-sided" arrangement in which Washington bears a disproportionate share of the alliance’s defence burden.