U.S. soldiers attending air assault school prepare for troops to rappel from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, May 19, 2025. The U.S. is reducing the number of its troops deployed to the Black Sea country, Romania's defense ministry said in a statement Oct. 29. (Nathan Arellano Tlaczani/U.S. Army)
U.S. troop deployments to Romania are being scaled back as part of a Pentagon plan to reduce force levels in Europe, the Romanian defense ministry said Wednesday.
The plan calls for ending the rotation of a U.S. Army brigade to Romania that also had elements dispersed across several other countries in the Black Sea region, the ministry said in a statement.
“The resizing of U.S. forces is an effect of the new priorities of the presidential administration, announced as early as February,” according to the statement, which added that the decision had been expected.
The U.S. began rotating a brigade to Romania in the aftermath of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The increased troop presence in Romania and other parts of the eastern flank was intended to reassure allies unsettled by Russian aggression in Europe and deter Moscow from potentially making a move on NATO territory.
The decision means the 101st Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade, which is close to wrapping up a nine-month deployment in Romania, won’t be backfilled.
U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a statement Wednesday that the Pentagon decision was aimed at balancing the U.S. military’s force posture in Europe.
“This is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO and Article 5,” USAREUR-AF said in a statement, referring to NATO’s collective defense policy that an attack on one member is an attack on all. “Rather this is a positive sign of increased European capability and responsibility.”
The Army said NATO allies, who have pledged to increase defense spending, are meeting President Donald Trump’s call to “take primary responsibility for the conventional defense of Europe.”
U.S. soldiers maneuver a Multiple Launch Rocket System during exercise Saber Guardian at the Cincu Training Area in Romania on June 16, 2025. The U.S. is reducing its troop numbers in Romania, the country's defense ministry said in a statement Oct. 29. (Randis Monroe/U.S. Army)
“The U.S. maintains a robust presence throughout the European Theater, and maintains the ability to array forces and capabilities to meet objectives in the Theater and support U.S. priorities, including President Trump’s commitment to defend NATO allies,” the USAREUR-AF statement said.
Inside the Pentagon, there has been an ongoing debate about whether to curtail troop rotations in Romania. In 2023, the Defense Department considered the idea but opted to continue sending rotational brigades.
Romanian officials said the Pentagon’s plan now calls for about 1,000 U.S. troops to be positioned in the country, down from several thousand.
The decision took into account the fact that NATO has strengthened its presence on the alliance’s eastern flank, and that allows the United States to adjust its military posture in the region, the Romanian statement said.
It wasn’t immediately clear what other countries could be affected by the Pentagon’s plans to reduce forces in Europe. However, many allies have been anticipating potentially significant cuts.
In July, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said there was “an understanding and assumption that the U.S. military posture across Europe will change.” He added, in an interview with Estonian media at the time that details were expected around October.
The Defense Department has been carrying out a force posture review that is expected to have implications for where troops are deployed around the world.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other Pentagon leaders have said that allies in Europe must prepare to take on a larger security role on the Continent so the United States can focus more on homeland defense and deterring China in the Pacific.
