FILE PHOTO: Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli speaks during the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. general in Europe said on Tuesday that the United States should keep its military presence on the continent as it is now, as the Pentagon reviews its global footprint under President Donald Trump.
The U.S. military has more than 100,000 troops in Europe, but U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told European colleagues that they should not assume that the United States' presence will last forever.
"It's my advice to maintain that force posture as it is now," U.S. Army General Christopher Cavoli told lawmakers during a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
Cavoli said the military had periodically reviewed its troop levels in Europe since 2022 - when Washington poured 20,000 troops into the continent after Russia's invasion of Ukraine - but he had recommended against bringing troop levels down.
"I have consistently recommended throughout that period to maintain the forces we surged forward, and I would continue to do so if asked," he added.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Mark Porter and Deepa Babington)
