Overview
- European leaders at a summit in Yerevan on Monday said the surprise U.S. drawdown shows Europe must take more responsibility for its own security, while Berlin’s Friedrich Merz said the cuts were not retaliation for his Iran criticism.
- The Pentagon ordered a 5,000‑troop reduction on Friday after a force‑posture review, and President Trump said Saturday he plans to go “a lot further” than that initial cut.
- The U.S. also halted a planned deployment of a long‑range Tomahawk missile unit to Germany that allies saw as key to deterring Russia, with Merz saying U.S. stocks are too low due to the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
- Top Republican defense leaders Roger Wicker and Mike Rogers warned the pullout risks weakening NATO deterrence and urged moving the brigade to Eastern Europe rather than removing it from the continent.
- Trump raised EU auto tariffs to 25 percent, a shift analysts say could cost Germany about €15 billion in output and strain factory towns tied to car and truck exports across Europe.