[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The cuts will gut the so-called 'NATO Force Model,' the alliance framework for defending Europe drawn up in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
It lays out exactly which troops, jets, ships and weapons each member state must hand over to NATO's Supreme Commander if war breaks out on the continent.
The US accounts for roughly 62 percent of total defense spending across NATO, with an annual military budget of around $980 billion.
Trump has long criticized European allies for failing to spend enough on their own militaries and for not pulling their weight in shouldering the cost of the alliance.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced it would draw down 5,000 troops from Germany over the next six to twelve months.
The move came after Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz slammed Trump's lack of strategy in the war against Iran.
| Accusing him of having no strategy is not the same as him having no strategy… |
Ahead of the meeting last week, NATO leaders were prepared for Washington to scale back support but they were reportedly blindsided by the speed of the request, according to Der Spiegel.
Hegseth's envoy informed them that each member state is expected to bring concrete offers to a 'Force Sourcing Conference' in June that spell out exactly which countries will the gaps left by the US drawdown. |