Republicans rebuke Pentagon drawdown in Europe | JQJO

The Pentagon plans to pull up to 800 troops from Eastern Europe, prompting unusually sharp criticism from the Republican chairs of Congress’s armed services panels. Sens. Roger Wicker and Rep. Mike Rogers warned the move sends the wrong signal to Russia and conflicts with President Trump’s strategy to pressure Vladimir Putin to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine. The Army’s 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne, will return to Fort Campbell without replacement; about 1,000 U.S. troops will remain in Romania. A NATO official called the shift routine, and the U.S. Army said it does not lessen NATO commitments.