Paris vs. Washington: Why Does France Call for an ‘Orderly’ Drawdown of U.S. Military Presence?

Europeans should not try to replace all of the expensive kit supplied by America, French Deputy Defense Minister Alice Rufo told POLITICO after meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Brussels. France wants the United States to reduce its military footprint in Europe in a clear and predictable way, she said.

‘We would like the U.S. shift to take place in an orderly, coordinated and efficient manner to avoid creating dilemmas for Europeans. Given the extreme volatility of transatlantic relations, we must avoid both catastrophism and denial’, Mme. Rufo told reporters.

The USA has whipsawed its European allies with its recent announcements. In June 2026 U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth launched a six-month review of America’s military presence in Europe – hinting that nations which had not assisted Washington's war on Iran would be punished. The announcement came after the U.S. administration said it would withdraw some troops from Germany in a fit of pique after Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the war in Iran.

The U.S. then blindsided Warsaw by canceling a deployment to Poland – only to U-turn days later. Now, Polish officials have stated they are close to securing a permanent U.S. base in the country.

The U.S. also told allies it would gradually scale down the number of strategic bombers, fighter jets, drones, submarines and warships. These were dedicated to the alliance under NATO's force model system, where allies periodically identify the soldiers and equipment they will make available in the event of a war.

Ahead of a NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara on July 7-8, A. Rufo was in Brussels to meet with Rutte and talk with NATO ambassadors.

France – one of NATO's just three nuclear powers – has had no American military presence on its soil since the 1960s, and its national defense posture is not impacted by U.S. troop or asset drawdowns. However, the country is heavily involved in NATO's regional defense plans and is expected to allocate more assets to the alliance to make up for any American reductions.

Mme. Rufo said she expected the U.S. troop presence in Europe to drop back to levels from before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

‘But it doesn’t make sense to do a one-for-one replacement [of American capabilities],’ she added. ‘Europeans don’t wage war the same way Americans do.’

As U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration single out European countries like Germany, Italy, Spain and Ireland for verbal attacks, Mme. Rufo also warned against European disunity: ‘It is important to avoid the blame game among Europeans. It is also important to understand that what matters is the actual military effects, not just the numbers,’ she said.

At last year's NATO summit in The Hague, NATO allies agreed to boost their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035, but the meeting also highlighted shortfalls in Europe's ability to take the lead in its own defense. Mme. Rufo argued that is no longer the case: ‘We have plenty to show that Europeans are capable and know what they're doing.’

Now it is time to prove this. Are the Europeans ready to pay the full price of the continent’s security and protect it on their own? There is no definite answer so far, as too much in the Old World still hinges on America.

Source: https://www.politico.eu/article/france-orderly-us-military-drawdown-alice-rufo/