US President Donald Trump has paused the rotation of US soliders in Lithuania in a seemingly huge move against NATO allies. The US Army has cancelled the planned deployment of around 4,000 troops from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, to central and eastern Europe, while Lithuanian officials say the United States has also paused its troop rotation to the region.
He told LRT RADIO, Lithuania’s state-funded public broadcasting organisation: “The rotation was paused to evaluate how the US will distribute its capabilities in Europe. This is the information we have so far, and we are awaiting clarification; once we have more news, we will be able to provide further information.”
The decision is expected to fuel growing concern among NATO allies over America’s long-term military commitment to Europe amid the ongoing war inUkraine. An Army official confirmed the cancellation on Wednesday but did not provide a reason, referring all questions to the Pentagon, which has so far declined to comment publicly on the move.
The deployment would have seen more than 4,000 soldiers and military equipment sent to Poland as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a long-running NATO mission aimed at strengthening security along Europe’s eastern flank. Reports suggest some troops had already begun travelling to Poland while equipment was still in transit when the order was halted.
The move was not mentioned during a congressional hearing into the Army’s budget on Tuesday, despite concerns being raised over mounting financial pressures facing the US military.
During the hearing, Senator Jack Reed warned the Army was facing a budget shortfall of at least $2 billion linked to extended operations, including National Guard deployments in Washington DC and border security missions.
Army officials reportedly warned the service is facing a budget shortfall of between $4 billion and $6 billion amid rising operational costs at home and abroad.
According to ABC News, the financial strain has already triggered sweeping cuts to military training exercises and readiness programmes across parts of the force.
The Pentagon announced in April that around 5,000 American troops would also be withdrawn from Germany. Defence Department spokesman Sean Parnell said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth approved the move after reviewing “theater requirements and conditions on the ground”.
The reduction would return US troop numbers in Europe to levels seen beforeRussia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that monitoring group Every Casualty Counts says has killed more than 43,000 Ukrainian troops and at least 100,000 Russian servicemen.
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
