Rutte announced filling gaps in NATO reserves after reducing US participation
NATO member states are forced to fill gaps in the alliance's reserves after Washington's decision to significantly reduce the amount of equipment and resources that the United States would provide in crisis situations. This was reported by the Reuters news agency on June 17.
"There are areas that require additional work, but the overall picture looks promising," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said during a press conference.
The authors of the article clarified that we are talking about the US decision to reduce its participation in the NATO reserve. According to information received from the agency's source, the number of American F-15 fighter jets will be reduced by a third, to 99 units, and the number of MQ-4 and MQ-9 Reaper drones will be halved, to 12. The number of KC-135 and KC-46 tanker aircraft will be reduced from 79 to 63.
In addition, the only submarine carrying cruise missiles is also excluded from the list of US reserve equipment intended for NATO.
The North Atlantic Alliance is under unprecedented pressure, and some European countries are concerned that Washington may follow through on US President Donald Trump's repeated threats to withdraw from NATO.
Earlier in the day, Bloomberg reported that European defense ministers had begun discussing the possibility of conducting military operations without full-scale support from the United States. According to the publication, the United States plans to reduce the number of strategic bombers promised by NATO by 30%. However, Europe does not have these aircraft, and it has no plans to produce them.
Bloomberg reported on June 12 that European countries are preparing for a significant reduction in military support from the United States. It was noted that the measures include a 75-100% reduction in reconnaissance and attack drones and about 50% reduction in naval vessels.
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