The Republican chairs of the respective Senate and House Armed Services Committees issued a joint statement denouncing the Trump administration's reported intent to reduce the number of U.S. troops along Europe's eastern border with Ukraine.
In a sharply worded joint release Wednesday, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said they "strongly oppose" the Pentagon's decision to discontinue a rotational U.S. brigade in Romania, calling the move "uncoordinated" and "directly at odds" with President Donald Trump's stated strategy toward Russia and NATO.
"We will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders and the Joint Staff, and collaboration with Congress," the lawmakers said.
They warned that pulling back U.S. forces "prematurely, and just weeks after Russian drones violated Romanian airspace, undermines deterrence and risks inviting further Russian aggression."
Wicker and Rogers, two of Congress' most influential defense voices, said the Pentagon failed to consult Congress in advance of the decision, despite clear bipartisan language in both chambers' versions of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act opposing troop reductions in Europe.
According to Romania's Defense Ministry, about 1,000 U.S. troops will remain stationed in the country following the planned end of the 101st Airborne Division's rotation at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, a key NATO hub on the Black Sea.
Roughly 80,000 to 100,000 American troops are typically deployed across Europe, but the administration's broader "force posture review" could lead to further cuts as it redirects attention toward the Indo-Pacific region.
Romania, a NATO member since 2004, has invested heavily in hosting U.S. forces, spending more than 2% of its GDP on defense for several years and pledging to raise that to 5%.
Wicker and Rogers praised Bucharest as a "strong ally" whose role in Black Sea security is "central to the Alliance's defense."
They said the U.S. must sustain a "persistent rotational presence" in Romania, Poland, and the Baltic states while maintaining two armored brigades in Poland.
Politico reported that the GOP chairmen's break with the administration highlights growing divisions within the Republican Party over the U.S. commitment to NATO.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., also criticized the move, calling it "a terrible message to NATO and Ukraine" and "a message of weakness in the face of Russian aggression."
The Pentagon and U.S. Army Europe have defended the realignment, emphasizing that it does not signal a withdrawal from Europe or a reduced commitment to NATO.
"This is a positive sign of increased European capability and responsibility," the Army command said in a statement.
Still, Wicker and Rogers warned that the timing "sends the wrong signal to Russia" as Trump seeks to pressure President Vladimir Putin to agree to a peace deal in Ukraine.
"Now is the time for America to demonstrate our resolve against Russian aggression," the chairs said in their statement. "Unfortunately, the Pentagon's decision appears uncoordinated and directly at odds with the President's strategy."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.