Pevkur: US military reduction in Europe will not play a major role
The US plans to significantly cut its air and naval presence in Europe, but Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur says it will not matter much as plans have already been updated.
According to US media reports, Washington intends to reduce its military aviation in Europe by a third and withdraw one aircraft carrier group. The plan involves cutting the number of F-16 and F-15E fighters from 150 to 100 units. Maritime patrol aircraft will be nearly halved, and all refueling planes will be withdrawn. Additionally, one submarine, one aircraft carrier, and dozens of carrier-based aircraft will be relocated to new deployment sites.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told "Aktuaalne kaamera" that these changes were known a year and a half ago and that European defense plans have been updated to account for them. "If we look at how long it takes a plane to fly here from the US, it's a matter of ten hours at most. So I don't see a big problem here. No one has told us that the defense plans for Europe will change. Our plans take into account specific forces, and that's what we count on," Pevkur said.
Raimond Kaljulaid, a member of the Riigikogu's National Defense Committee, noted that data leaking to the press should not be taken literally, as coordination between parties is ongoing. "I really wouldn't pay too much attention to such individual news items or get emotional about them. I think we should wait for what agreements are reached at NATO level and how these resources will be compensated by EU member states," Kaljulaid said.
He added that synchronization of troop redeployment might experience glitches when US forces are withdrawn but Europe has not yet filled the gap. "But there are mechanisms to bring these resources back to Europe if the situation requires it. So I view these reports without worry. Everyone understood that US priorities are shifting. They are looking more toward the Indian Ocean or Pacific, and it is clear that specific changes will come to European defense as a result of policy shifts," Kaljulaid explained.
A year ago, experts noted that the Trump administration's focus was on China and Taiwan, but today Iran remains an equally significant front, where the US may also send additional forces.
