I don't think the American removal of air and naval assets is a problem for defending European NATO. But they could be significant for INDOPACOM and CENTCOM, where Europeans are thin on the ground.
Details about the reduction of American contributions to the NATO Force Model are coming out:
The U.S. intends to significantly reduce military contributions available to assist European allies in a crisis, including fighter jets, warships and mid-air refueling aircraft, German news outlet Spiegel reported on Tuesday. Specifically, half the number of strategic bombers, a third of the fighter planes, fewer destroyers, and no submarines.
The NATO Force Plan looks good on paper with raw numbers of troops, but it overwhelmingly consists of air and naval power in the early months of mobilization. Honestly, Russia's naval power is a joke that Europeans can crush. And Russia simply doesn't prioritize air superiority. American and European air power can handle the Russians.
What is needed these days is European ground-based air defense for mass missile and drone attacks.
And as I mentioned in the Substack post at the start, American forces not earmarked for NATO could still be committed there. What America has now is more flexibility for global threats. Because Europeans have to care about Europe more than America does now.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
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NOTE: Photo from the quoted article.
