Bennet, Neguse, Bacon Urge Defense Department to Reverse NATO Force Cuts

Aug 19, 2026 | Press Releases

Denver - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Representatives Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), and Don Bacon (R-Neb.) led a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth regarding reports that the Department of Defense (DoD) plans to reduce contributions to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations in Europe, undermining allied security and emboldening Russia at a particularly dangerous moment for trans-Atlantic security.

"Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the United States has maintained an increased presence in Central and Eastern Europe to deter Russia's potential aggression against NATO allies. Earlier this summer, however, the United States European Command announced plans to scale back the number of forces committed to NATO, including a 30 percent cut to fighter jets, a decrease in reconnaissance planes, and the withdrawal of aerial refueling tankers," began the lawmakers.

"This decision will severely undermine allied surveillance and intelligence coordination, leaving NATO allies vulnerable as President Vladimir Putin weighs aggression against our NATO allies - whom the United States is legally obligated to defend, if called upon under Article 5. Deterring Russia through strong support for NATO is far less costly than potentially fighting a war with Russia in the future," wrote the lawmakers.

The bipartisan trio urged Secretary Hegseth to reconsider the proposed cuts to NATO resources and requested that the DoD outline its plans for how the United States will uphold long-standing commitments to allied security. Bennet, Neguse, and Bacon also stressed that the United States must reaffirm America's leadership within NATO, not introduce uncertainty or risk the alliance's collective strength.

"We understand your Department's efforts to ensure Europe pays more for its own defense so the United States can spend more of our own resources deterring China across the Indo-Pacific. This is a long-running and bipartisan priority. But your planned reduction cuts deep across NATO capabilities and will take effect far earlier than European allies had been preparing for. This decision and its rapid implementation will weaken our shared deterrence posture in Europe by sending a troubling signal - both to our NATO allies and to Putin - about the U.S. commitment to this alliance at precisely the wrong moment," continued the lawmakers.

"NATO is the most successful defensive military alliance in history, having served as the cornerstone of trans-Atlantic peace and U.S. national security for over seven decades. Now is the time to recommit to this alliance, particularly as NATO itself expands cooperation with Indo- Pacific partners to address the China challenge - not to pull back and create vulnerabilities that risk implicating the United States. Accordingly, we urge you to immediately reconsider the planned reduction of resources to NATO," concluded the lawmakers.

Bennet is a leading advocate for greater U.S. cooperation with NATO allies and continued support for Ukraine.

Earlier this summer, Bennet led seven colleagues in a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent urging the Trump administration to crack down on a Russian state-backed cryptocurrency sanctions evasion network funding Russia's war. He also voted to advance major bipartisan legislation he co-sponsors to impose sanctions on Putin's inner circle and his enablers across Russian industry and financial institutions, the Russian shadow fleet, and firms supporting Russia's defense industrial base. Bennet also co-sponsors bipartisan bills to impose sanctions on specific Russian oil ships and entities trading in Russian oil, respectively.

Earlier this year, Bennet wrote an op-ed in EURACTIV urging the United States and like-minded allies to form a coalition to cooperatively and immediately wield Russian sovereign assets on Ukraine's behalf. In December 2025, Bennet led a bipartisan letter to Belgian Ambassador to the U.S. Frédéric Bernard, expressing support for European efforts to leverage Russian sovereign assets to finance a loan for Ukraine. Bennet also co-sponsors bipartisan legislation to repurpose frozen Russian sovereign assets held in the United States to support Ukraine. This would build on the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act, which Bennet co-sponsored and which President Joe Biden signed into law in April 2024.

Additionally, Bennet leads legislation in the Senate defense and intelligence bills, both of which have passed their respective committees, to bolster drone and intelligence cooperation with Ukraine.

The text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Secretary Hegseth:

We write to express our deep concern regarding public reports that the Department of Defense plans to significantly reduce U.S. contributions to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations in Europe and to reiterate the alliance's crucial role in maintaining trans-Atlantic peace and advancing U.S. national security, particularly following the July NATO summit in Türkiye.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the United States has maintained an increased presence in Central and Eastern Europe to deter Russia's potential aggression against NATO allies. Earlier this summer, however, the United States European Command announced plans to scale back the number of forces committed to NATO, including a 30 percent cut to fighter jets, a decrease in reconnaissance planes, and the withdrawal of aerial refueling tankers.

This decision will severely undermine allied surveillance and intelligence coordination, leaving NATO allies vulnerable as President Vladimir Putin weighs aggression against our NATO allies - whom the United States is legally obligated to defend, if called upon under Article 5. Deterring Russia through strong support for NATO is far less costly than potentially fighting a war with Russia in the future. Yet your planned drawdown threatens to weaken deterrence by creating intelligence gaps, diminishing U.S. global power projection, eroding our credibility as an ally.

Maritime reconnaissance aircraft, for example, are the primary tools for tracking Russian submarines in the Atlantic and North Sea. Without U.S. aircraft for that mission, NATO will have less capacity to monitor Russian naval movements and protect undersea infrastructure, including energy pipelines and telecommunications cables.

The United States also assists with NATO's airborne surveillance, intercepting Russian military communications and detecting Russian missiles and drone launches before they threaten allied airspace - all of which your planned drawdown could impair. Additionally, NATO depends on U.S. logistics to sustain long-range air combat. Withdrawing U.S. refueling tankers will restrict the operational range of European fighter jets and compromise NATO's ability to maintain control of the airspace.

We understand your Department's efforts to ensure Europe pays more for its own defense so the United States can spend more of our own resources deterring China across the Indo-Pacific. This is a long-running and bipartisan priority.

But your planned reduction cuts deep across NATO capabilities and will take effect far earlier than European allies had been preparing for. This decision and its rapid implementation will weaken our shared deterrence posture in Europe by sending a troubling signal - both to our NATO allies and to Putin - about the U.S. commitment to this alliance at precisely the wrong moment. Accordingly, there is strong bipartisan opposition to further troop drawdowns in Europe, as evinced by force posture oversight provisions in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and FY 2027 NDAA text in both chambers.

NATO is the most successful defensive military alliance in history, having served as the cornerstone of trans-Atlantic peace and U.S. national security for over seven decades. Now is the time to recommit to this alliance, particularly as NATO itself expands cooperation with IndoPacific partners to address the China challenge - not to pull back and create vulnerabilities that risk implicating the United States.

Accordingly, we urge you to immediately reconsider the planned reduction of resources to NATO. We request you provide our offices with a written description of your plans by August 31, 2026.

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