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It is learned that Trump privately communicated the decision to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
US President Donald Trump will retain the traditional role of an American general at the head of NATO, three US officials and a NATO source said, even as Washington is pushing European allies to take more responsibility for their own security.
Trump reportedly privately communicated the decision to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the Western official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Pentagon, the White House and NATO did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The decision will ease concerns among European NATO allies and even some of Trump's fellow Republicans that Washington's tough rhetoric toward Europe and skepticism about the war in Ukraine could signal a rapid decline in America's military leadership.
However, officials say U.S. warnings that the Trump administration should shift its focus to Asia and homeland security are sincere. While no decisions have been made, the Trump administration has discussed possible troop reductions in Europe, where about 80,000 U.S. personnel are currently stationed.
The next expected US candidate for the positions of Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and US European Command (EUCOM) is Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich, US officials said.
The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of an announcement expected in the coming days. The position of SACEUR, which oversees all NATO operations in Europe, has been held by an American general since its creation after World War II. U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower became the alliance's first SACEUR in 1951.
Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has pressured Europe to increase its defense spending, saying Europe should be primarily responsible for defense on the European continent.
How quickly Europe will take on such a role remains a big question, and there have been discussions within the administration about the possibility of handing over the post of Supreme Allied Commander Europe to a European nation, officials say.
" Make no mistake: President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into 'Uncle Piglet,'" US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters during a visit to NATO headquarters in February.
During Trump's first term, preserving NATO and the US's leading role in the alliance was a top priority for his Pentagon chiefs. Retired Marine Corps General Jim Mattis, his first secretary of defense, resigned in part because of Trump's skepticism of NATO.
While the United States was still expected to pressure Europe to do more and could in the future begin to redirect American troops elsewhere as part of a broader review of US deployments, the US decision to maintain the SACEUR role will likely be welcomed by Trump's key allies in Congress.
The two Republican lawmakers who chair the Pentagon oversight committees in the US Congress issued a rare joint statement in March, expressing concern about a possible US withdrawal from the SACEUR command structure.
Grynkewich, who is now the director of operations at the US Army Joint Chiefs of Staff, will succeed Army General Christopher Cavoli, who has been in the role since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, helping to oversee billions of dollars in US security assistance to Kiev.
Trump took office in January predicting he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours. In the months since, he has found the conflict to be more difficult to resolve than he believed and has blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for allowing it to happen.
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