U.S. administration rejects Hegseth Europe troop cut plan

A senior administration official intervened to block a plan by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to announce a new round of U.S. troop reductions in Europe last month, exposing internal divisions over the future of the American military presence on the continent. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, helped halt the proposal ahead of a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels in mid-June.

According to officials familiar with the matter, Hegseth had intended to inform NATO's top military leaders that the Pentagon was preparing additional force cuts beyond previously announced moves. Instead, following a review by Rubio and other senior officials, Hegseth announced a six-month comprehensive assessment of the U.S. military's force posture in Europe. He described the review, dubbed "NATO 3.0," as a process to evaluate troop levels, basing, and access to ensure the alliance is moving "fast and irreversibly" toward Europe taking primary responsibility for its own defense.

The disagreement reflects broader uncertainty within the administration over the pace and scope of reducing the U.S. footprint in Europe. President Donald Trump has long argued...