Trump isn't abandoning NATO. He's rebalancing it
In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.
TL;DR
- Troop numbers are a poor measure of U.S. military support for NATO; the type and location of deployments are more important.
- President Trump's decisions to relocate U.S. troops from Germany and cancel some deployments are seen as prudent rebalancing, not an undermining of NATO.
- NATO provides significant value through intelligence sharing, economic support, and security for U.S. exports.
- The U.S. maintains strong nuclear deterrence against Russia, which is a key foundation of NATO.
- Poland is a more valuable location for U.S. troops than Germany due to its higher defense spending and proximity to at-risk Baltic states.
- The U.S. should redeploy some air and naval forces from Europe to the Pacific to counter China's growing threat.
- NATO remains well-positioned to deter and defend itself against Russian attacks, even with a reduced U.S. footprint in Europe.