Pentagon plans phased cuts to U.S. roles in NATO advisory groups and Centers of Excellence

Planned reductions focus on specialized NATO training and advisory networks

The Pentagon is preparing to scale back U.S. participation in several NATO advisory bodies, a move expected to affect roughly 200 U.S. military personnel assigned to allied organizations and programs. The reductions are expected to fall most heavily on NATO’s network of 30 accredited Centers of Excellence, specialized multinational hubs that develop doctrine, provide training and education, and support concept development across domains ranging from maritime security to energy resilience.

Officials familiar with the planning described an approach designed to unfold over time rather than through an immediate withdrawal. The plan is to allow assignments to expire without replacing U.S. personnel as rotations end, a process that could take years. U.S. participation is not expected to end entirely, but to be reduced in selected areas.

Which NATO functions are implicated

Among the groups identified for reduced staffing are those focused on energy security and naval warfare, along with organizations connected to special operations and intelligence. Some functions may be shifted elsewhere within NATO structures, potentially limiting operational disruption. NATO has treated staffing adjustments by individual allies as a recurring feature of force posture management and has remained in close contact with Washington on the broader distribution of U.S. personnel.

NATO Centers of Excellence are not funded by NATO’s common budget; they are supported by sponsoring nations and are affiliated with NATO’s Allied Command Transformation. They are designed to avoid duplicating existing NATO command structures while supplying practical expertise, lessons learned, and standardized approaches that can be adopted across the alliance.

• Centers of Excellence deliver training and education for allied and partner personnel.
• They contribute to doctrine and standards development and share operational lessons learned.
• They support capability development in specialized areas such as energy security and maritime security operations.

Context: U.S. posture in Europe and congressional constraints

The planned drawdown in advisory participation aligns with a broader review of U.S. military engagement in Europe that has continued since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. The reductions under consideration would represent a small fraction of the overall U.S. military presence on the continent, which is approximately 80,000 troops.

Congress has taken steps to increase oversight of major changes to U.S. posture in Europe, including requirements for consultation if U.S. force levels fall below specified thresholds. Lawmakers have also debated the strategic value of U.S. involvement in allied training and advisory structures, where American personnel often contribute operational experience and specialized expertise.

U.S. participation in NATO advisory networks has often functioned as a mechanism for standardizing tactics, procedures, and interoperability across allied forces.

What happens next

No public implementation timetable has been announced. The phased nature of the plan suggests that effects would emerge gradually as rotations conclude, rather than as a single date-driven exit. NATO and U.S. defense officials are expected to continue consultations as staffing decisions are finalized, particularly in specialized areas where advisory roles support training, planning, and interoperability across the alliance.