While the Trump administration plans to withdraw military assets, causing concerns in Europe, NATO’s Supreme Commander for Europe and Commander of the U.S. European Command, Gen. John N. Greenevich, tried to reassure allies that Russia “is not seeking conflict.” However, he also stated that NATO is ready for “combat tonight.”
According to a report by the British ‘Financial Times’ on June 11, Greenwich, when asked about the possibility of Russia attacking Baltic countries, stated that his role is to ensure that NATO's deterrence remains credible and to make Moscow understand that it cannot defeat the NATO alliance militarily.
Greenkiewicz said at a panel discussion during the Berlin International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA Berlin Air Show): “I have been closely following intelligence reports, and Russia has not sought conflict… They understand the meaning of ‘defensive alliances,’ and they realize that we possess many asymmetric advantages.”
Greenekvitch
While Greenkevic delivered these remarks, the United States is planning to reduce the military assets allocated to the “NATO Force Model”. This system is NATO’s pool of troops and equipment reserves, which can be deployed within 10 days, 30 days, and 180 days after a crisis occurs.
Reports say that Greeneker’s assessment stands in stark contrast to the growing concerns of the Baltic states. The latter worry that a reduction in U.S. military presence could weaken NATO’s deterrence and change Moscow’s strategic calculations.
Greenkevich said that his “job” is to ensure that Russia understands that “if they try to take action in the Baltic States, they will not succeed. Because they know they won’t succeed, they won’t take such risks.”
He added, "If someone were to ask me if I'm ready to go into battle tonight? Of course, I am."
According to the German newspaper 'Die Welt', the U.S. military assets that may be withdrawn include an American aircraft carrier strike group, all submarines capable of launching cruise missiles, some P-8 "Poseidon" maritime patrol aircraft, air refueling aircraft, as well as F-16 and F-15E fighter jets.
These adjustments are part of the broader strategy of the Trump administration, which aims to shift U.S. resources towards Asia and the Western hemisphere. Washington has previously announced plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, and will also cancel the deployment of a long-range artillery battalion to Germany later this year.
Green Kevich confirmed these adjustments for the first time on the 11th. He said: “These are a series of air and maritime capabilities that the United States needs if problems arise in the Pacific region.”
As the supreme military commander of NATO, he stated that he is currently formulating emergency plans to address potential capabilities that may be possessed or may be lacking in the future.
He said, “Under certain conditions, we may have these abilities, or we may not have them at all. Therefore, we must plan for all possible scenarios.”
In the short term, we need to focus on those who can quickly achieve success, be quickly deployed, and quickly expand their scale of operations while also maintaining long-term viability. This applies equally to remote strike forces.
Russian President Putin last week dismissed European concerns that Russia might attack NATO countries, calling such claims "absurd."
He said: “This is a deliberate act of creating a threat that does not actually exist in reality, with the aim of provoking citizens to increase their military spending.”
This is completely absurd. It's ridiculous if it weren't so disappointing.
