Trump Troop Change Baffles NATO Allies 05/22 06:08

   NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment on Friday at U.S. 
President Donald Trump's announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to 
Poland just weeks after he ordered the same number of forces pulled out of 
Europe.

   HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) -- NATO allies and defense officials expressed 
bewilderment on Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he 
would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after he ordered the same 
number of forces pulled out of Europe.

   The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and 
his administration about reducing -- not increasing -- the American military 
footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among 
military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment 
to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on 
NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.

   Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in 
Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service 
members were no longer deploying to Poland. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. 
personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.

   But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would send "an 
additional 5,000 Troops to Poland," citing his strong ties with Polish 
President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.

   "It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate," Swedish Foreign 
Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters at a meeting Friday that she 
was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco 
Rubio.

   Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump's latest 
move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Brae, who said allies knew the 
U.S. troop "posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of 
posture. For now."

   U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. "We just spent the better 
part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don't know what this 
means either," said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to 
discuss sensitive military matters.

   But Rubio played down the issue. He said that "the United States continues 
to have global commitments that it needs to meet in terms of our force 
deployment, and that constantly requires us to reexamine where we put troops."

   Trump's vow to withdraw US forces came after Merz criticized the US

   The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop 
deployments, including one from NATO's top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex 
Grynkewich, on Wednesday.

   Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed 
over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was 
being "humiliated" by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a 
lack of strategy in that war.

   Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and 
also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent's biggest 
auto producer.

   Rubio insisted that Trump's decision "is not a punitive thing. It's just 
something that's ongoing." He has often been called on to offer a less 
antagonistic U.S. presence at meetings with European partners, but Rubio did 
skip the last NATO gathering of foreign ministers in December.

   The US has a commitment to keep at least 76,000 troops in Europe

   About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required 
to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO 
allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in 
U.S. interests.

   The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.

   But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not 
change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send 
more forces to his country, saying it ensures that "the presence of American 
troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels."

   NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, 
before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was 
important for Europe to take care of its own security. "We have a process in 
place. This is normal business," he told reporters.

   Friday's NATO meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, was aimed at preparing for a 
summit of Trump and his counterparts in Turkey in July.