US to cut NATO command roles as alliance tensions intensify

The US plans modest but symbolic cuts to NATO command staffing, fuelling fresh unease in Europe over Washington’s strategic priorities.

Washington Post had the info.

Summary:

• US plans to cut around 200 positions from NATO command and intelligence bodies.

• Intelligence, special operations and maritime centres are among those affected.

• Reductions will mainly occur through attrition rather than recalls.

• Move aligns with US focus on the Western Hemisphere.

• Timing risks amplifying European anxiety over US commitment to NATO.

The United States plans to reduce the number of personnel it assigns to several key NATO command and intelligence bodies, a move that is likely to sharpen European concerns over Washington’s long-term commitment to the alliance, according to officials familiar with the matter.

US and European sources said the Trump administration has signalled to some European capitals that it will eliminate roughly 200 US positions from NATO entities involved in military planning, intelligence coordination and special operations. The cuts are expected to affect bodies including the UK-based NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre, the Allied Special Operations Forces Command in Brussels, and Portugal-based STRIKFORNATO, which oversees certain maritime operations.

The changes are expected to be implemented largely through attrition, with the US declining to replace personnel as they rotate out of their posts, rather than through immediate recalls. About 400 US personnel are currently assigned to the NATO bodies affected, implying a reduction of roughly half.

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

• a special address at the World Economic Forum in Davos from 13:30–14:15 GMT

He spoke Tuesday at a press conference.

• investingLive Americas market news wrap: US stock markets battered, yields rise

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.