U.S. Withdraws Troops From Romania, Signaling Shifting Priorities

The Pentagon will no longer rotate Army combat brigades through Romania as part of a strategy that focuses on Asia and Latin America.

The Trump administration is reducing American forces in Europe as it finalizes a new defense strategy that gives priority to the U.S. military presence in the Western Hemisphere and Asia, U.S. and European officials said Wednesday.

The Pentagon decision to remove an Army combat brigade from Romania drew sharp objections from the Republican Chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees.

It comes at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin has rebuffed President Trump’s appeals to begin peace talks over Ukraine and when North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been worried about Russian drone incursions over Europe.

The Trump administration said the troop reduction won’t weaken the West’s security posture in Europe and that allied forces will fill the gap.

A brigade of 101st Airborne Division has been deployed in Romania as part of a broader push by the U.S. to strengthen its military position on NATO’s eastern flank following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Pentagon has been rotating brigades through Romania, which borders Ukraine and the Black Sea. On Wednesday, Romania and American officials said that the brigade—a force of about 4,000 troops that is scheduled to leave in December—wouldn’t be replaced after it returns to the U.S.

A statement from Romania’s defense ministry said the “downsizing” of the U.S. military presence in the country was the result of the Trump’s administration’s “new priorities” as it reassesses the worldwide deployment of American troops.

The Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy, which is expected to be published in the coming weeks, is likely to highlight U.S. security interests in Western Hemisphere, where the Pentagon is engaged in a buildup in an attempt to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to leave office and stem the flow of illegal drugs. As part of this buildup, the Trump administration last week directed the lone U.S. aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean to the Caribbean.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was with President Trump in Japan this week, has called Asia another “priority theater” for the military. Trump administration officials have also called on Europe to assume the “primary responsibility” for the nonnuclear defense of the continent.

NATO will still have military presence in Romania after the U.S. brigade leaves: A French-led multinational force that an alliance official said has some 1,400 troops. In addition, some 1,000 American troops who are operating Aegis Ashore antimissile defenses, among other missions, will remain.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. force levels in Europe have fluctuated between about 75,000 and 105,000 troops, a spokeswoman for the U.S. European Command said.

“This is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO,” the European Command said in a statement. “Rather this is a positive sign of increased European capability and responsibility. Our NATO allies are meeting President Trump’s call to take primary responsibility for the conventional defense of Europe.”

Still, the move drew objections from some NATO proponents

“This is a short-sighted decision that sends the wrong message to Putin,” said Philip Breedlove, a retired U.S. Air Force general who was the top military commander of NATO when Russian forces seized Crimea and moved into Eastern Ukraine. “It is wrong to begin such a reduction in the face of Russian intransigence”

Sen. Roger Wicker (R., Miss), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Ala.), chair of the House Armed Services Committee, also assailed the move.

“On March 19, we stated that we will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders and the Joint Staff, and collaboration with Congress,” they said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this appears to be exactly what is being attempted.”

Pending legislation on military spending in the Senate and House precludes the Pentagon from taking troops out of Europe unless the defense secretary certifies that such a move is being taken after consultation with U.S. commanders and allies. But the measure containing the requirement hasn’t yet been enacted.

Write to Michael R. Gordon at michael.gordon@wsj.com