NATO's top military officer, Supreme Allied Commander Alex Grynkewich, has revealed that the alliance is developing alternative defense plans for Europe in the event of a Russian attack, following the United States' decision to reduce the number of aircraft and warships it would provide during a security crisis. The announcement came at the ILA Berlin Air Show on Thursday, where Grynkewich detailed the shifting landscape of European defense.
The so-called NATO Force Model, which outlines the military assets available to commanders over the first six months of any conflict, remains the alliance's primary plan. However, last month, the Pentagon informed its NATO allies that it would scale back its commitment to focus on potential threats elsewhere, particularly from China in the Indo-Pacific region.
European allies and Canada had been waiting for over a year for the Trump administration to specify the extent of the cuts, which were anticipated but not fully understood until now.
Grynkewich emphasized that the United States remains committed to providing "limited but critical capabilities" to the alliance. He stressed the need to focus on assets that can be acquired, fielded, and scaled rapidly, such as long-range fires and drones, to mitigate near-term risks.
The precise nature of the cuts remains classified, but media reports from Germany and the U.S. suggest that an aircraft carrier with its support group, a submarine, aerial refueling planes, and dozens of fighter jets would be withdrawn from the European theater.
These assets are in short supply in Europe, and it is unclear where they might be sourced quickly.
After allies met on June 2-3 to assess the gaps left by the U.S. move, Grynkewich called on European allies and Canada to fill them by supplying manned and unmanned aircraft and naval vessels, both now and in the near term.
Washington expects to know how allies intend to backfill these assets by the time President Donald Trump meets with NATO counterparts at a summit in Turkey on July 7-8.
In a related development, NATO's military headquarters announced on Friday that it would reduce its security force in Kosovo, known as KFOR, by withdrawing some troops and equipment. KFOR has been deployed since 1999 to maintain peace between Kosovo and Serbia.
Once numbering 50,000 personnel, the force has been gradually reduced as tensions eased, though 1,000 additional troops were deployed in 2023 after renewed violence. Grynkewich stated that current conditions allow for further optimization of KFOR's size and posture, though he declined to specify which forces might leave or whether any American troops would be affected.
The United States currently has 590 troops with KFOR, second only to Italy's 907 personnel, and also stations U.S. Black Hawk helicopters at Camp Bondsteel.
Despite these adjustments, Grynkewich noted that intelligence reports and Russian troop movements indicate that "Russia is not looking for a conflict with NATO." Russia remains bogged down in the war in Ukraine and is struggling to recruit enough troops. However, European governments and intelligence services have warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be in a position to launch an attack elsewhere on the continent within three to five years, especially if he succeeds in Ukraine.