Pentagon's NATO review preparing troop options for Hegseth by November 6

A Pentagon review of U.S. troop deployments in Europe will create at least four sets of options for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by November 6, well ahead of a December deadline for the review's completion, according to a document seen by Reuters.



NATO allies worry that the six-month review, announced in June, will lead to large-scale cuts to the roughly 80,000 U.S. forces across Europe and punish countries that President Donald Trump believes failed to support the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.



The Pentagon's "Terms of Reference," which have not been previously detailed, explain the steps that the internal review will take and some of the criteria that will be used to evaluate U.S. basing decisions throughout Europe.



One important disclosure in the document is a plan for the top U.S. general in Europe to participate in a decision briefing with the Pentagon's policy chief, Elbridge Colby, by September 18, according to the document.



Colby is expected to speak with NATO ambassadors about the review on Thursday at the alliance's Brussels headquarters.