America has an interest in keeping Europe a free continent of allies. But yes, the Russian threat is reduced and farther east. So we don't need nearly as much as we did in the Cold War. Especially as Europeans arm up in response to Russia's renewed aggression.
While there are no proposals on reductions, the post-invasion surge of American troops to Europe could end. if so, this would be good:
The U.S. Pentagon should retain key military equipment in Europe to deter Russia even as Washington prepares to draw down the number of troops it keeps stationed on the continent, Finland's president told POLITICO on Thursday.
My original proposal was prescient and fulfilled by more recent American deployments. But for a while we went backwards until Russia's imperial ambitions could no longer be ignored.
This call to reduce America's role in NATO by quoting Eisenhower that if our troops were still in Europe in another decade we have lost is just wrong. It took longer. But yes, we won.
While INDOPACOM is the priority theater, Europe is still a valuable defensive buffer despite the lesser threat than during the Cold War; and worthy of commitment as an economy-of force-theater. And as a staging area for reacting to threats in an arc of crisis.
Europe isn't America's burden. It's our shield. Of course, I still think the backbone of an Army corps should be based in Europe, as I wrote about in Military Review.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!
NOTE: The map is from that last link. But note that CENTCOM now only has Egypt from the African continent under its area of responsibility; and Israel is now part of CENTCOM. Also, AFRICOM didn't exist back then.
