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US plans major cuts to NATO military resources, German magazine reports

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Germany's Der Spiegel reports the U.S. plans to significantly reduce military resources available to NATO allies.
  • The proposed cuts include a halving of strategic bombers and a one-third reduction in fighter jets.
  • This move, driven by U.S. pressure on European allies regarding defense spending, could strain transatlantic relations.

The United States is reportedly planning a substantial reduction in the military resources it makes available to NATO allies during crises, according to a report by Germany's Der Spiegel.

The plan involves a significant decrease in U.S. military assets, including a halving of strategic bombers and a one-third cut in fighter jets. The U.S. Navy also intends to reduce its contribution of destroyers to NATO and will no longer provide submarines to the alliance. Furthermore, the supply of armed drones from the U.S. is expected to be drastically scaled back, potentially forcing European nations to increase their own capabilities, such as reconnaissance drones.

The U.S. plans to halve the number of strategic bombers and reduce the number of fighter jets by one-third.

· Alexander Velez-Green (U.S. envoy)Stated during a closed-door meeting with NATO officials, as reported by Der Spiegel.

This potential reduction in U.S. military support comes amid increasing pressure from President Donald Trump on European allies to increase their defense spending. Trump has previously criticized allies for not meeting NATO's defense spending targets and has threatened to withdraw U.S. troops from Germany. Tensions have also been exacerbated by Trump's past actions, such as his attempt to acquire Greenland and his criticism of European allies' support during potential conflicts.

Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Trump administration informed NATO allies last week about the planned reduction in military resources. A U.S. envoy, Alexander Velez-Green, reportedly briefed senior NATO officials in Brussels on the plan. Der Spiegel indicated that further details would be provided at a force generation meeting in early June. A NATO spokesperson acknowledged to Der Spiegel that there is an "over-reliance" on the U.S. within NATO's force planning, suggesting that increased European and Canadian defense investments could lead to a redistribution of military responsibilities within the alliance.

There is indeed an "over-reliance" on the United States in NATO force planning.

· NATO spokespersonCommented to Der Spiegel regarding the alliance's military planning and the potential redistribution of responsibilities.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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