European diplomats seek to reassure Pentagon amid U.S. Europe troop review

European diplomats are set to meet Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby at NATO headquarters in Brussels to convey that they are stepping up defence as the United States carries out a six-month review of its European force posture. Announced in June, the review examines the future of roughly 80,000 U.S. troops and includes a questionnaire probing allies’ basing, overflight permissions and alignment with U.S. foreign-policy goals.

The move follows President Donald Trump’s criticism of European contributions and has raised questions in capitals about whether the review is a sincere assessment or a negotiating tool. Estonia’s defence minister Hanno Pevkur confirmed his country is drafting answers to the questionnaire. NATO officials say the United States is consulting allies, but some diplomats suspect the answers are already known and fear a competition for U.S. attention. The Pentagon has not commented, and a NATO source warned that any statements by Colby could be quickly overridden by higher-level officials.