U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade convoy to the Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, for Exercise Allied Spirit, Feb. 25, 2025. NATO continues to prepare for military exercises involving American troops, the alliance said following media reports that the U.S. was preparing to withdraw from such drills. (Markus Rauchenberger/U.S. Army)
STUTTGART, Germany — NATO continues to prepare for military exercises involving the United States this year and beyond, the alliance said in response to recent media reports that the U.S. was preparing to withdraw from such drills.
U.S. Army Col. Martin O’Donnell, spokesman for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, said NATO continues to “plan and execute exercises” with all 32 member states.
The exercises “increase our collective readiness to deter potential threats against the Euro-Atlantic, and defend its one billion inhabitants,” O’Donnell said in a statement Sunday.
The comments came following a report Friday by Sweden’s Expressen newspaper that allies were notified the U.S. would no longer take part in the planning of NATO military exercises in Europe after 2025.
The newspaper, citing unnamed Swedish sources, said the move was related to the U.S. intention to focus more on military activities in the Asia-Pacific region.
While U.S. officials say planning for U.S. involvement in NATO exercises continues, there has been more focus on having European allies play a bigger role.
“These exercises include U.S. forces, but also see more and more European forces training solely with other European forces like during last month’s Steadfast Dart (exercise),” he said.
U.S. Army paratroopers with 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment train alongside Greek troops as part of the Legion Olympus exercise in Xanthi, Greece, March 7, 2025. NATO continues to prepare for military exercises involving American troops, the alliance said following media reports that the U.S. was preparing to withdraw from such drills. (Mariah Gonzalez/U.S. Army)
Questions about the future shape of NATO drills comes amid broader uncertainty about the role of the U.S. military in Europe.
Allies have speculated that President Donald Trump intends to make significant cuts to the size of the American force on the Continent.
While the Defense Department has said there are no immediate plans for a drawdown, questions have swirled in European defense circles about what the Pentagon’s priorities — namely, border security and deterring China — will mean elsewhere.
In January, Italian media, citing diplomatic sources, reported that the U.S. plans to cut 20,000 troops in Europe. Meanwhile, Britain’s Telegraph newspaper, also citing unnamed officials, reported Friday that Trump is considering pulling some 35,000 troops out of Germany.
The uncertain situation has stoked fears among European leaders that the U.S. may no longer be committed to ensuring security in Europe, where the U.S. by its own design has played a leading military role since the end of World War II.
Germany’s expected next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said last month that Europe must prepare to achieve security independence from the United States as quickly as possible.
Merz also has said Germany must consider nuclear weapons protection agreements with France and the United Kingdom should the U.S. pull back in Europe.
Meanwhile, a top Polish official on Friday said that Warsaw should consider acquiring a nuclear weapon of its own to ensure an independent deterrent against potential Russian aggression.
“We must be aware that Poland must reach for the most modern capabilities also related to nuclear weapons and modern unconventional weapons,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday.
