The United States plans to significantly reduce the military assets it would make available to European allies during a major crisis, including fighter jets, warships and mid-air refueling aircraft, the German news magazine Spiegel reported Tuesday.
An envoy of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth briefed senior officials from member states on the plan late last week at NATO headquarters in Brussels, according to the report.

The number of US fighter jets pledged to NATO under the crisis framework is set to fall by one third, Spiegel cited US envoy Alexander Velez-Green as saying during the closed-door meeting. The United States also plans to provide only half the previous number of strategic bombers. The US Navy will make fewer destroyers available to the alliance and no longer intends to provide submarines. Further details are expected at a force generation conference in early June.

The reductions apply to the NATO Force Model, the framework under which member countries identify the pool of forces that could be activated during a conflict or major crisis, such as an attack on a NATO member. The precise composition of those wartime forces is closely guarded, but the Pentagon has decided to scale down its commitment significantly.

The capabilities being trimmed include several that European militaries have long relied on Washington to provide. A European Commission report at the start of the war in Ukraine identified mid-air refueling tankers, modern fighter aircraft and air and missile defense systems as among the most significant capability gaps in European forces. A recent IISS assessment estimated that, for a major NATO contingency in Europe, the United States could contribute a force package equivalent to roughly 128,000 troops, along with armored brigades, air defense units, aviation brigades and submarines.

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has said publicly that Washington will continue to use its nuclear weapons to protect NATO members even as European allies take the lead on conventional forces. Adjusting the NATO Force Model has emerged as a priority for Colby’s team ahead of the next NATO leaders’ summit, scheduled for July in Turkey.

The move follows recent Trump administration announcements cutting some 5,000 US troops from Europe and canceling a planned deployment of an Army brigade to Poland. President Donald Trump has long criticized European allies for what he calls insufficient defense spending and has expressed frustration over their reluctance to join the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran. He has also pledged to withdraw thousands of troops from Germany and publicly questioned whether Washington remains bound to honor its mutual defense commitments under Article 5.

Trump’s push to acquire Greenland, a Danish overseas territory, and a public dispute with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war have further strained transatlantic relations. NATO countries last year set new defense spending targets of 3.5 percent of GDP on core defense and 1.5 percent on broader measures such as cybersecurity and infrastructure.

A senior NATO diplomat told Reuters there is still an understanding that the United States would come to Europe’s aid if needed. European leaders have generally responded that they are accelerating their military buildup but cannot replace decades of US capability overnight. An analysis earlier this year by the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel estimated Europe would need to field 50 new combat brigades and roughly 300,000 troops to offset the contribution the United States would historically make in the event of a Russian attack.

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