Lawmakers Condemn Pentagon Plan to Scale Back U.S. Troops in Romania

The top defense lawmakers in Congress condemned the Pentagon’s decision to reduce the U.S. troop presence in Romania, saying it weakens NATO’s position against Russia and was made without proper consultation.

The chairs of the Senate and House Armed Services committees, Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Mike Rogers, issued a joint statement Wednesday saying they “strongly oppose the decision not to maintain the rotational U.S. brigade in Romania.”

They said the move “appears uncoordinated and directly at odds with the President’s strategy” and “risks inviting further Russian aggression.”

Romania’s government said Washington had informed it that a U.S. Army brigade of about 3,000 troops would return home without replacement. The unit has operated mainly from Romania but also rotated through Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia as part of NATO’s eastern flank. About 1,000 American troops will remain in Romania to support alliance operations on the Black Sea.

U.S. Army Europe and Africa, which oversees American ground forces on the European continent, said in a statement that the change was part of a broader review to “ensure a balanced U.S. military posture” and to encourage European allies to take greater responsibility for their own defense. The move “is not a signal of lessened commitment to NATO” but a reflection of “increased European capability and responsibility,” the statement said.

Some lawmakers were skeptical. “If you have to say it’s not a signal of lessened commitment, then it probably is,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican.

The announcement caught many lawmakers by surprise. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, told NOTUS that members first heard about the decision from Romania instead of the Department of Defense. She said the National Defense Authorization Act requires that Congress be notified before any troop reductions in NATO’s frontline states.

“Pulling out troops from Romania is almost the worst message we could send to Russia,” she said.

Shaheen added that the Black Sea region has become “a real hotbed,” citing Russian influence operations in Moldova and Georgia.

“They are meddling everywhere,” she said. “We need to take a strong stance.”

Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, said he learned of the change through the press and wants clarity on whether it fits into a broader strategy.

“At this stage, they should tell us what the plan is,” Kaine said. “Romania has been a major epicenter of what we call the European Reassurance Initiative.”

Other Armed Services members said they had not been briefed. Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, said he had “heard a rumor about it” but wanted to “find out what’s going on” before commenting further. Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said they also had not been informed.

Both Armed Services committees have requested briefings from the Pentagon on how the decision was made, whether NATO allies were consulted and what further posture changes are under consideration.