The Pentagon is planning to reduce the US military's participation in a number of NATO advisory and training bodies, although the process is not linked to the current standoff over Greenland, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
Several officials told the newspaper that the move - described as "the latest sign of the Trump administration's effort to reduce the US military presence in Europe" - would affect about 200 military personnel.
According to the report, the changes would largely reduce US involvement in NATO's 30 Centers of Excellence, which are designed to train forces in various areas of warfare, including energy security and maritime operations.
Instead of an immediate withdrawal, the Pentagon intends to let existing assignments expire without replacing personnel — a process that could stretch over several years, according to two U.S. officials. They also stressed that U.S. participation in the centers would not end completely.
The cuts are also expected to affect NATO bodies focused on special operations and intelligence. A source told WaPo that some U.S. functions will be relocated elsewhere within the bloc, softening the overall impact.
The move, which has been under consideration for months, is not directly related to Trump's recent push to seize control of Greenland, a strategic Arctic island under Danish sovereignty that he says the United States needs for national security reasons, U.S. officials said. The push has caused a major rift with European NATO members, who have opposed handing over the island despite the president's threats of new tariffs.
The report also comes at a time when Trump has been pushing NATO members to shoulder a greater share of the defense burden, suggesting at one point that the U.S. would not come to the aid of countries that did not contribute enough. The bloc later agreed to increase defense spending from 2% to 5% of GDP.
Since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, NATO has significantly increased the number of troops on Russia's doorstep. Moscow has accused NATO of fueling tensions, while stressing that the bloc has essentially ended up in a state of "war" with Russia.
