European leaders have said Donald Trump’s snap decision to tug 1000’s of US troops out of Germany is a fresh sign that Europe must deal with its own security.
The Pentagon announced last week that it might pull 5,000 troops out of Germany, and Trump told reporters he plans to ‘cut rather a lot further’.
He offered no reason for the move, which blindsided NATO, however it appears to be linked to his anger over European allies’ reluctance to get entangled within the conflict within the Middle East.
The move comes after years of warnings from experts that Europe must beef up its own security and stop counting on the USA for help.
Keir Giles, a Russian expert at Chatham House, previously told Metro that if the US were to suddenly withdraw military support, Europe could be ‘severely lacking’ in defensive capabilities, leaving it open to attack.
‘Europe will not be ready to exchange the United States by way of defence, and it should take a while to accomplish that, even when it were to start out applying effort in a way we haven’t seen up to now,’ he said.
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The important worry experts have about US security leaving isn’t threats from the Middle East, nonetheless – it’s from Russia.
He adds: ‘To preserve European security, Europe simply must be more powerful than Russia in key areas that may deter Moscow. Everything of Europe is a frontline area so far as Russia is anxious.’
Russian-born UK citizen and former BBC journalist Sergei Cristo told Metro there are hard military components NATO needs to enhance, but identified that Europe will not be doing enough to battle Russian hybrid warfare.
‘Russian military strategy is currently based on the Gerasimov Doctrine, which mainly says that “concealed technique of war”- which include political interference, taking control of hostile countries through intelligence operations, and interference in elections – are more necessary than military motion,’ Cristo said.
‘Personally, I don’t think NATO is prepared,’ he added.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said this week: ‘There was discuss withdrawal of US troops for a very long time from Europe. But after all, the timing of this announcement comes as a surprise.
‘I believe it shows that we now have to actually strengthen the European pillar in NATO.’
Over the weekend, Nato spokeswoman Allison Hart said officials on the 32-nation military alliance ‘are working with the US to grasp the main points of their decision on force posture in Germany’.
European allies and Canada have known since just after he got here to office again last yr that Trump would pull troops out of Europe, but US officials had pledged to coordinate any moves with their Nato allies to avoid making a security vacuum.
Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte played down the move, saying ‘there was at this point disappointment on the US side’ about European support for the war on Iran.
France, Spain and the UK have declined to present US forces free rein to make use of bases on their territory to attack Iran. Spain has denied them the usage of its airspace and bases there for the war.
In one other sign of friction, Trump has accused the EU of not complying with its US trade deal and announced plans to extend tariffs next week on cars and trucks produced within the bloc to 25%, a move that may be particularly damaging to Germany.
Without mentioning Trump or the US, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen listed recent trade deals that the bloc has sealed with Australia and India, and is now working on with Mexico.
‘With like-minded friends, you could have stable, reliable supply chains and Europe has the most important network of free trade agreements,’ she said.
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