Report: US to cut strategic bombers and warships available to NATO in a crisis

The U.S. intends to significantly reduce military contributions available to assist European allies in a crisis, including fighter jets, warships and mid-air refueling aircraft, German news outlet Spiegel reported on Tuesday .

The NATO alliance is under unprecedented strain, with some European countries concerned that Washington may withdraw outright.

U.S. President Donald Trump has slammed European allies for not spending enough on their militaries and pledged to withdraw thousands of troops from Germany. His ambition to take control of Greenland, a Danish overseas territory, has further inflamed transatlantic tensions.

Trump also fiercely criticized European allies for a lack of support in reopening the Strait of Hormuz for shipping amid the war on Iran, saying he was considering withdrawing from the NATO alliance and questioning whether Washington was bound to honor its mutual defense pact.

According to the Spiegel report, an envoy of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth briefed senior officials from member states on the plan at NATO headquarters in Brussels late last week.

Three sources familiar with the matter had told Reuters the Trump administration was planning to tell NATO allies last week it would shrink the pool of military capabilities available to the alliance during a crisis.

The U.S. aims to provide only half the previous number of strategic bombers, the reports said.

Specifically, the number of U.S. fighter jets is set to fall by a third, Spiegel cited U.S. envoy Alexander Velez-Green as saying during the closed-door meeting.

The U.S. Navy is also set to make fewer destroyers available to NATO, and the U.S. no longer intends to provide any submarines to the alliance.

Under the changes, Europe would be forced to provide its own reconnaissance drones, while the U.S. plans to significantly scale back the provision of armed models.

The U.S. will provide further details at a force generation conference in early June, the Spiegel report said.

The German defense ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment.

A spokeswoman for NATO told Spiegel that there had been an “over-reliance” on the U.S. in NATO force planning and that, with Europe and Canada investing more in defense, military responsibilities within the alliance could be reorganized.

据德国《明镜周刊》周二报道，美国计划大幅削减在危机中向欧洲盟友提供的军事援助，包括战斗机、军舰和空中加油机。

北约联盟正面临前所未有的压力，一些欧洲国家担心华盛顿可能会彻底退出。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普抨击欧洲盟友军费开支不足，并承诺从德国撤出数千名士兵。他企图控制丹麦海外领地格陵兰岛的举动，进一步加剧了跨大西洋紧张局势。

特朗普还猛烈抨击欧洲盟友在伊朗战争期间缺乏对重新开放霍尔木兹海峡航运的支持，称他正在考虑退出北约，并质疑华盛顿是否有义务遵守其共同防御条约。

据《明镜周刊》报道，美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯的特使上周晚些时候在布鲁塞尔北约总部向成员国高级官员介绍了该计划。

三位知情人士告诉路透社，特朗普政府上周计划告知北约盟国，将在危机期间缩减联盟可用的军事能力。

报道称，美国计划只提供之前一半数量的战略轰炸机。

据《明镜周刊》报道，美国特使亚历山大·维莱兹-格林在闭门会议上表示，美国战斗机的数量将减少三分之一。

美国海军也将减少向北约提供的驱逐舰数量，并且美国不再打算向北约提供任何潜艇。

根据这些变化，欧洲将被迫提供自己的侦察无人机，而美国计划大幅缩减武装型无人机的供应。

《明镜周刊》报道称，美国将在6月初举行的兵力生成会议上提供更多细节。

德国国防部尚未回复路透社的置评请求。

北约发言人告诉《明镜周刊》，北约在部队规划方面“过度依赖”美国，随着欧洲和加拿大加大国防投入，联盟内部的军事责任可以重新调整。