Overview
- The 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne will return to Kentucky and will not be replaced after its rotation on NATO’s eastern flank.
- Romania says U.S. rotations at the Mihail Kogălniceanu air base will cease, with roughly 900 to 1,000 American troops remaining in the country.
- U.S. and NATO officials say this is not a withdrawal and that the American footprint in Europe remains above pre-2022 levels, with about 85,000 troops currently stationed across the continent.
- Republican defense leaders Roger Wicker and Mike Rogers criticized the decision as sending the wrong signal to Russia and said Congress was not consulted, requesting Pentagon explanations.
- NATO was briefed and describes the move as a routine adjustment, as planners track any further changes while recent Russian drone and airspace incursions have raised tensions on the eastern flank.