A top US military official told their European counterparts that Washington plans to provide NATO with fewer warplanes, drones, and refueling tankers. 

The German outlet Der Spiegel reports that Department of War official Alexander Velez-Green briefed high-ranking representatives from NATO member states that the US will curtail its military support to the alliance. The military equipment that NATO will receive less of includes fighter jets, warships, drones, strategic bombers, and tanker aircraft.

Velez-Green told officials from NATO states that Washington would significantly reduce the number of strategic bombers it provides to the alliance, as well as cut the number of fighter jets by a third. The US will also keep the number of aircraft carriers and destroyers provided to a minimum while completely cutting submarine deployments. 

Washington’s view is that European nations should shoulder the burden of NATO’s conventional defense, but is willing to provide the majority of NATO’s nuclear capabilities. 

NATO officials had expected the US to scale back its military support for the alliance, but not to the extent outlined by Velez-Green. NATO believes it can replace the American fighter jets with new deliveries of F-35s to European nations. The removal of strategic bombers will be a larger issue because no European nation has a fleet of bombers capable of dropping a nuclear weapon. 

Both the UK and France have only fighter jets capable of dropping nuclear bombs. 

The division between NATO and Washington has widened during the war against Iran. European nations, which have been economically harmed by the conflict, are refusing to provide military support for the war.