Trump could withdraw troops from Europe. His army has other ideas

Telegraph

26-05-2025

As a handful of Fox Battery US Marines fired up their Himars alongside Royal Horse Artillery Gunners loading up their MLRS, they knew they were about to make defence history.
For the first time, British and American troops were to use their signature multiple launch rocket systems simultaneously.
It would also be the first time either would be fired on the strategic Swedish island of Gotland, less than 200 miles from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and its Baltic fleet.
Five loud thuds boomed across the firing range as the dummy rockets streaked through the early morning sky before disappearing from sight somewhere in the Baltic Sea: a successful launch.
These joint US-European military exercises are being held against the backdrop of a souring in relationships between the US and its Nato allies since Donald Trump became president again in January.
But when asked what he thinks of his commander-in-chief this week having a two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin, the leader of the country that is the unspoken enemy at the heart of all of these military exercises, American Capt Justin Miller shrugs.
'We're training with Nato'
'Regardless of what's going on, we're out here, we're training with Nato,' he says. 'We're in Sweden at the moment, Norway yesterday and we're gonna go to Finland in a few days. And we're gonna continue to do so until told otherwise.'
'[The Nato alliance] still feels strong to me.'
Mr Trump has repeatedly accused Europe of riding on the US's coat tails in terms of defence spending and has praised Russian leader Putin rather than punishing him for invading Ukraine.
At the Munich Security Conference in February, JD Vance, the US vice-president, made headlines by saying the greatest threat facing the continent was not from Russia but 'from within', adding that Europe needed to 'step up' and provide for its own defence.
Shortly afterwards, Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, was revealed to have described Europe as 'pathetic' freeloaders in a leaked chat on the messaging service Signal. He has also warned American military presence in Europe is not 'forever.'
The slew of unprecedented criticism has led to speculation that Europe can no longer rely on the US to protect it from Russia and that the Nato alliance is on its last legs.
But the political schisms do not appear to have filtered through to the US military, which has 84,000 service members posted in more than 40 bases across the Continent.
'The political leaders are gonna do their thing, I will say that from what I've seen, we haven't changed at all,' explains Lt Col Zach Leuthardt, a public affairs officer for the US Marines in Europe and Africa.
'It's hard to tell at our level that the things that are going on at the political level are happening. It doesn't affect us. We are committed to the alliance.'
The drills on Gotland are part of the Swift Response phase of the US's annual Defender series – officially known as the Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for Nato Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness exercise.
Over the next six weeks, some 12,000 US troops – including 5,000 arriving from the States – will buddy up with 13,000 European and Nato ally soldiers to practise everything from live firing and river crossings to using drones to resupply a field hospital with blood.
It's a huge undertaking that is designed to showcase US-European cohesion and interoperability – defence ministry jargon for how well different countries' armies can work together.
'We haven't scaled it down'
Lt Col Leuthardt has been based in the US European Command's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, since last July. He said the election of Mr Trump last November hasn't affected anything in his work.
'Nothing on our schedule from the time I've got here has changed. We haven't scaled it down. Nobody's gone home.
'We've got a fresh batch of new people coming in this summer to take on those roles and continue the planning. So from my operational and tactical level, nothing's really changed for us.'
The fact that live fire drills are being held on Gotland for the first time is telling given its strategic importance in protecting the Baltics from Moscow.
'It's a very good sign from the US defence forces that they want to do this security signal together with us towards the Russians,' said Peter Hulqvist, Sweden's former defence minister from 2014-22 and now chair of the defence committee.
'It continues the co-operation that we built up with the United States some years before.'
The drill also involved British 16th Air Assault Brigade soldiers parachuting in and fighting off the 'enemy' (local Swedish troops) to secure a tactical landing zone for the Himars and MLRS.
Watching the UK's elite paras jump out of an A400 plane and float gently down to the green field below, Lt Col Leuthardt had glowing words of praise for the US's European partners – especially the British.
'We have the same values'
'It's like working with other Americans,' he says. 'It's super-simple and they're super-professional and we've had a blast. My eyes are open to how well this alliance works together.
'We have the same values: democracy and defence of our nations. It's like hanging out with cousins.'
Back at the Tofta firing range, after the historic joint missile launch, US Marines Staff Sgt Caleb Thayer smiles proudly at its success. ' A little bit of shock and awe,' he says.
'We just got off the bird [plane] probably 45 minutes ago. So we were just shooting from the hip and it all went to plan. And that's all we can ask for: good co-operation and communication and everybody gets along, I guess. We're super-happy to be here.'