NATO's North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will announce that its European members have filled almost all of the gaps left by the United States in the alliance's defense plan at the Ankara summit next week, a NATO source told Reuters.
The main vacancy that NATO is still fighting to fill is in strategic bombers, where the US says it will only provide one plane, not two, the source told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity, quoted by Al Arabiya (2/7).
The US told its allies in May it had decided to reduce the number of military capabilities deployed to the transatlantic alliance in a crisis situation, raising urgent questions as leaders prepare for a NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8.
The move is intended to gradually end "unhealthy co-dependency" on US forces as Washington faces potential simultaneous conflicts on multiple battlefields, according to NATO's supreme commander, US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich.
In mid-June, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said other allies were increasing their contributions and would fill "many" gaps, but did not provide further details.
When asked for comment, a NATO spokesperson referred to Rutte's statement.
The US did not publicly disclose the details of its reduction, but according to figures provided to Reuters by a military source, the reduction includes refueling aircraft, fighter jets, drones and ships.
The number of US F-15 and F-15E fighter jets available to NATO will be reduced by a third to 99, while the number of MQ-4 and MQ-9 Reaper drones will be halved to 12, according to the source.
The number of KC-135 and KC-46 refueling aircraft was reduced to 63 from 79, while only one strategic bomber and one aircraft carrier would be allocated, instead of two.
The number of maritime patrol aircraft will also be reduced from 26 to 15, the number of destroyers will be reduced from 17 to nine, and the only submarine carrying cruise missiles will also be reduced from the commitment.
The NATO alliance is under unprecedented pressure, with some European countries worried that Washington may follow through on US President Donald Trump's repeated threats to withdraw.
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