A Romanian soldier watches his American counterpart fire a Romanian machine gun during a multinational weapons range at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, Sept. 11, 2025. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Nov. 6, in Bucharest, Romania, that the Pentagon’s coming force posture change in the country was a minor shift that won’t affect NATO security. (Justin Lacy/U.S. Army)
STUTTGART, Germany — NATO’s top official this week downplayed the effects U.S. troop cuts in Romania will have on European security and also talked up the bloc’s recent push to churn out more ammunition and other weaponry to counter Russia.
Secretary-General Mark Rutte made the remarks Thursday at the NATO-Industry Forum in the Romanian capital, Bucharest. Alliance efforts to close the arms gap are paying dividends, he said.
“Until recently, Russia was producing more ammunition than all NATO allies put together,” Rutte said. “But not anymore.”
Dozens of new production lines have opened across the alliance while existing sites are expanding, he said, adding that ammunition output is now at its highest level in decades.
His comments came on the heels of last week’s Pentagon announcement that it was ending the rotation of a U.S Army brigade to Romania. That plan calls for the U.S. not to backfill a brigade from the 101st Airborne Division as its nine-month rotation in Romania now draws to a close.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte speaks at the NATO-Industry Forum in Bucharest, Romania, Nov. 6, 2025. Rutte said the alliance’s efforts to close the gap with Russia when it comes to mass-producing firepower are paying dividends. (NATO)
About 1,000 U.S. soldiers from other units are slated to remain in Romania.
The reduction involves about 3,000 soldiers, 700 of whom were based in Romania. Other elements from the brigade were dispersed to different countries on NATO’s eastern flank, according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia were among the countries of focus for the brigade. The Army began sending brigades to Romania on a rotational basis in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Some security analysts have said the decision to end the mission in Romania amounts to bad timing given the Kremlin’s ongoing military campaign in neighboring Ukraine. Rutte, however, said it was a minor shift that won’t affect NATO security.
“Even with this adjustment, the U.S. force posture in Europe remains larger than it has been for many years,” Rutte said Wednesday during a news conference in Bucharest.
He added that troop level adjustments by the U.S. are routine and that onlookers shouldn’t “read too much into that (decision).”
The alliance has also stepped up its presence along NATO’s eastern flank, including around Romania, Rutte said.
For example, new missions such as Baltic Sentry and Eastern Sentry are focused on maintaining higher levels of vigilance, stretching from the High North to the Black Sea region to guard against possible incursions by Russia.
Even after the war in Ukraine ends, Russia will present a threat to NATO, Rutte said at the defense forum.
The Kremlin “will remain a destabilizing force in Europe and the world” and is “preparing for long-term confrontation,” he said.
