On Friday, July 3, Sir John Stringer, the Deputy Supreme Commander of NATO’s European Allied Forces, stated that European allies have largely filled the military vacuum left by the recent US troop withdrawals. Stringer plans to attend the NATO summit in Ankara next week. The United States recently announced significant reductions in the number of troops sent to Europe in times of war or crisis, prompting NATO’s military command to urge European countries to disclose the pledged but unfulfilled manpower commitments to NATO.
Stringer, who was appointed as the second-in-command of NATO’s European operations earlier this year, asserted that the European allies are prepared to address the shifts in US priorities and commitments. He added that burden-sharing and burden-shifting are being carried out reasonably and moderately, entirely driven by military logic.
He emphasized that for areas where some European countries cannot provide equivalent manpower, alternative resources will be sought to achieve the same effects. The need for rebalancing NATO forces has long been recognized, and Europe has been actively responding to it.
“European allies have undoubtedly increased their efforts to fill the US troop adjustments in Europe,” he said, reflecting “a stronger Europe, a stronger NATO.”
In June, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review of US troops stationed in Europe, which shocked NATO as it foretells the possibility of further withdrawals of American forces from NATO.
NATO spokesperson Colonel Martin L. O’Donnell stated that “in the air and maritime domains, Europe is able and has been actively responding,” and can even surpass the original scale.
He added that in some cases, European allies possess equipment similar or even more advanced than US stocks, such as Bulgaria’s upcoming acquisition of F-16 fighter jets.
When asked about the recent resignation of UK Defense Minister John Healey due to insufficient defense spending, Stringer pointed out that all 32 member countries have agreed to increase defense spending to 3.5% of their Gross Domestic Product by 2035 and have established realistic paths to achieve it.
He noted, “No one is exempt,” referring to NATO’s requirement for governments to allocate at least 3.5% of their GDP to core defense efforts.
“This is our consensus, and it includes the UK, of course,” Stringer said. “NATO hopes that all countries, including the UK, will fulfill their commitments.”