五角大楼决定撤出部署在东欧的多达800名士兵，这引起了国会共和党人罕见的强烈反对，他们周三表示，在美国试图迫使弗拉基米尔·普京就乌克兰停火进行谈判之际，此举向俄罗斯发出了“错误的信号”。
在一份联合声明中，众议院和参议院军事委员会的共和党高层表示，如果没有“严格的跨部门程序”，包括与国会的协调，他们不会支持改变军队在欧洲的姿态。
“不幸的是，这似乎正是正在尝试的，”密西西比州参议员罗杰·威克和阿拉巴马州众议员迈克·罗杰斯写道，他们作为小组主席，负责监督与五角大楼近1万亿美元年度预算有关的国防政策问题。
美国官员周三证实，陆军的第101空降师的第二步兵旅战斗队将返回其在肯塔基州坎贝尔堡的基地，不会被替换。罗马尼亚国防部长莫斯特亚努(Ionut Mosteanu)在一份声明中指出了这一变化，称美国计划减少北约“东部侧翼”的兵力，但仍将在罗马尼亚留下约1000名士兵。
“这不是美国从欧洲撤军，也不是减少对北约和第五条承诺的信号，”美国驻欧洲和非洲陆军的一份声明说，他指的是北约条约中呼吁共同防御的条款。
“相反，这是欧洲能力和责任增强的积极迹象，”负责监管欧洲和非洲军队的司令部写道。
威克和罗杰斯直接反驳了欧洲准备填补北约安全缺口的观点，指出它需要时间来建立防御，并表示此举有“招致俄罗斯进一步侵略”的风险。
“这一决定也向俄罗斯发出了错误的信号，因为特朗普总统正在施加压力，迫使弗拉基米尔·普京坐到谈判桌前，以实现乌克兰的持久和平，”这些参议员写道。“总统说得很对:现在是美国展示我们反对俄罗斯侵略的决心的时候了。不幸的是，五角大楼的决定显得不协调，而且与总统的战略直接相左。”
五角大楼没有立即回应置评请求，也不清楚特朗普是否知道该计划。
一名不愿透露姓名的北约高级军事官员表示，调整部队态势在欧洲并不罕见，该联盟认为美国和特朗普仍然致力于其联盟。
这位北约官员说，“即使进行了这一调整，美国在欧洲的兵力态势仍比多年来的任何时候都要大。”。“与2022年之前相比，美国在非洲大陆的驻军仍然要多得多。北约和美国当局正就我们的总体态势保持密切联系，以确保北约保留我们强大的威慑和防御能力。”
在总统的第二个任期内，国会共和党人对特朗普政府的抵制非常罕见，总统仍然牢牢控制着共和党。
Pentagon cuts troops in Eastern Europe, prompting rare pushback by GOP lawmakers
The Pentagon’s decision to pull out as many as 800 troops deployed in Eastern Europe has prompted a rare, forceful pushback from congressional Republicans who said Wednesday the move sends the "wrong signal” to Russia at a time the U.S. is trying to force Vladimir Putin to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine.
In a joint statement, the top Republicans on the House and Senate armed services committees said they would not support changes to the military’s posture in Europe without a “rigorous interagency process,” including coordination with Congress.
“Unfortunately, this appears to be exactly what is being attempted,” wrote Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, who as panel chairmen oversee defense policy issues related to the Pentagon’s nearly $1 trillion annual budget.
U.S. officials confirmed Wednesday that the Army’s2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division would return to its base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, without being replaced. Romania’s defense minister, Ionut Mosteanu, noted the change in a statement, saying that the U.S. plans to reduce force size in NATO’s so-called "Eastern Flank" would still leave about 1,000 troops in Romania.
"This is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO and Article 5," a statement from U.S. Army Europe and Africa said, referring to the provision in the alliance's treaty calling for mutual defense.
"Rather this is a positive sign of increased European capability and responsibility," wrote the command that oversees Army troops in Europe and Africa.
Wicker and Rogers directly pushed back on the notion that Europe was ready to fill the gaps when it comes to NATO security, noting that it needs time to build up its defenses and saying the move risks "inviting further Russian aggression."
"This decision also sends the wrong signal to Russia at the very moment President Trump is applying pressure to force Vladimir Putin to come to the table to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine," the senators wrote. "The President has it exactly right: now is the time for America to demonstrate our resolve against Russian aggression. Unfortunately, the Pentagon’s decision appears uncoordinated and directly at odds with the President’s strategy."
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment and it was not clear whether Trump was aware of the plan.
A senior NATO military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said adjustments to force posture were not unusual in Europe and that the alliance believes the U.S. and Trump remain committed to its alliance.
"Even with this adjustment, the U.S. force posture in Europe remains larger than it has been for many years," the NATO official said. “There are still many more U.S. forces on the continent than before 2022. NATO and U.S. authorities are in close contact about our overall posture -- to ensure NATO retains our robust capacity to deter and defend.”
Pushback against the Trump administration by congressional Republicans has been extraordinarily rare during the president’s second term, with the president retaining a firm grip on the GOP.
