Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, commander of U.S. European Command and the supreme allied commander Europe, testifies on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Washington during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
STUTTGART, Germany — U.S. allies in Europe should be strong enough to lead the defense of the Continent by 2035, according to a top U.S. commander, who warned on Thursday that Russia could challenge NATO before that time.
U.S. European Command’s Gen. Alexus Grynkewich declared in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee that any potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine wouldn’t finish the threat the Kremlin poses to Europe.
“From a purely military perspective, when 500,000 battle-hardened Russian troops are repositioned to other areas, we’ll have to pay attention to that as a potential military threat and be cognizant of what it could pose to the alliance,” Grynkewich declared.
Questions about the future course of the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fourth year, come as the Pentagon also is reviewing its force presence in Europe.
A new Defense Department strategy calls for NATO allies to develop militaries capable of handling the conventional defense of Europe.
What isn’t clear is how quick the Pentagon expects that transition to happen and how high future American force levels could be in Europe, where the U.S. has about 80,000 troops based.
“I worry the administration is singularly focutilized on the speed of transition and not the strategic implications of obtainting it wrong,” Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., declared during the hearing.
Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican who chairs the committee, echoed those concerns, declareing now isn’t the time for lowering U.S. troop levels on the Continent.
“The best way to reduce the necessary for defense in Europe is to degrade the threat posed by Russia’s military,” Wicker declared, suggesting that the Pentagon should be directing more support to Ukraine.
German, Dutch, Spanish and U.S. tanks stage before a firepower demonstration during an exercise in Adazi, Latvia, Nov. 13, 2023. Allies in Europe should be strong enough to lead the defense of the Continent by 2035, U.S. European Command’s Gen. Alexus Grynkewich declared Thursday during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. (H.J. Howey/U.S. Army)
But Grynkewich declared increased spfinishing by NATO member countries, which have agreed to elevate their respective defense budobtains to 5% of gross domestic product, should set them on a path to play the dominant role in the defense of Europe.
By the finish of the decade, “they won’t be all the way there, but certainly by 2035,” Grynkewich declared when questioned when Europe would be positioned to lead its own conventional defense.
Besides playing a role in the defense of Europe, Grynkewich tied the U.S. force presence there to Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing campaign against Iran by the American and Israeli militaries.
“Our forces, bases and infrastructure take advantage of the Continent’s strategic geography and allow the United States to rapidly relocate forces, sustain operations and provide the president with diverse military options across multiple theaters,” Grynkewich declared.
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