NATO strategists are said to be drafting worst-case scenario plans, in case the President Elect makes good of his intentions of withdrawing large contingents of American troops from military bases around Europe.
Mr. Trump has previously said that he believes the United States should be ‘less involved’ in European defence missions, going as far as saying that the US Army may only step up to defend NATO-aligned and allied countries if they ‘pay their bills.’
Article 5 of the NATO charter hinges on the principle of ‘collective defence’, which means that an attack on a NATO ally is considered an attack on all allies. Now, the top echelon at NATO HQ wants to ensure that Mr. Trump will abide by such principle.
The 45th President of the United States, however, referred to the NATO alliance as ‘obsolete’, potentially throwing long-established defence plans into disarray.
If Mr. Trump does order the withdrawal of American soldiers from Europe, no country in the continent will be able to provide enough troops to replace them.
The impending uncertainty has prompted Germany, one of the largest military powers in the continent, to budget for the allocation of 130bn for military spending by the year 2030.
Still, the United States is continuing with the deployment of troops around Eastern European countries for the time being, to strengthen front-line battalions.