Leaked document shows the US quietly grading NATO allies on loyalty to decide who loses troops
WASHINGTON, DC: The United States is actively reducing and reviewing its troop levels and military assets committed to NATO allies in Europe, and before finalizing cuts, President Donald Trump wants to know how loyal each NATO ally is to his administration's policies before cutting military assets that defend the alliance.
Bloomberg reported it had obtained a leaked document circulated to NATO member states, confirming the administration was formally surveying allies on their support for Trump's agenda.
In the document, which is reportedly a questionnaire, the US seeks to understand support for Trump’s policies by individual allies.
It asks whether each country has "been publicly supportive" of US foreign policy, including strikes in the Middle East and the Western Hemisphere that were carried out without NATO consultation.
Country that buys from the US might be favored
Besides, through this document, the US also tries to assess if the country has been spending money with US defense contractors, inquiring whether the country has been a vocal critic of “regulations” that prevented “contracts with US firms.”
The particular query reads, “Has the country shown alignment with the US approach to ‘strong, clear, and quiet’?”
This question directly invokes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's demand that allies stay "strong, clear, and quiet" in alignment with US interests.
With Europe increasingly pushing to strengthen its own defense industries, these questions are likely to cause more tension among NATO allies.
The US's linking of protection to European countries with ideological alignment threatens the post-World War II transatlantic relationship that was immune to political disagreements.
NATO already braces for troop cuts
The document was leaked amid a six-month Pentagon review of the US military footprint in Europe, expected to wrap up by December.
NATO countries are already bracing for the troop cuts as Trump’s team has tried to boost right-wing forces in places like Germany and Hungary, while offering extra troops to Poland.
The US has said it will pull 5,000 troops from Germany, though it separately pledged to send 5,000 additional troops to Poland after a nationalist ally won that country's presidency, a reward to Poland for political alignment.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has publicly defended the broader review as reasonable given rising European defense spending, calling it something that is "bringing NATO closer together."
