Developing a European way of war

This year's NATO summit takes place against the backdrop of a radically changing US posture in Europe prompted by different threat perceptions of Russia. The US National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy make clear that the current administration considers Russia a regional threat. But for European NATO allies, Russia continues to be an existential risk to the continent. As a result, burden shifting within NATO - which the United States has demanded since the 1950s but has risen to the top of the agenda during Trump's second term - is now happening on a faster timeline and with significantly less co-ordination than European NATO allies had hoped.

Perhaps most pivotal was the United States' recent announcement of drastic changes to the NATO Force Model, including scaling back the number of fighter jets, bombers, submarines, maritime surveillance aircrafts, and aerial refueling platforms available to NATO in crisis situations. The United States has also canceled the deployment of a Multi-Domain Task Force long-range fire battalion to Germany, which will negatively impact Europe's ability to hold Russian targets at bay, and has made other decisions cutting US commitments in Europe. The reduction of US troops will create a mighty challenge for Europe, and the allies will need to quickly determine how to overcome capability gaps in the short-term to ensure defense and deterrence.

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