Two republicans and four-star General Christopher Cavoli are breaking with the Trump administration and doubling down on their efforts to keep troop levels within Europe as they are, according to Politico.
The comments are a stark contrast to the Trump administration's potential plan to withdraw troops from the area. Cavoli, who is the Commander of the United States European Command, wants to keep the same level of troops in eastern Europe since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“It’s my advice to maintain that force posture as it is now,” Cavoli said.
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His comments were repeated by both House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE). The latter of the two said, "It would be a grave mistake to pull forces out of Europe right now. This is a time to deter Russia, and I think withdrawing forces is a sign of weakness.”
Pentagon’s acting assistant secretary for international security affairs, Katherine Thompson, avoided answering questions about any plans to withdraw troops, instead saying, “The department right now is undergoing a global force posture review." Later adding, "No decisions have been made at this time.”
The comments come after NBC reported the Pentagon is contemplating removing up to 10,000 troops from Eastern Europe.