The reduction of the American contingent in Germany will weaken the position of NATO in a possible conflict with Russia, Forbes magazine writes.
Earlier media reported that President Donald Trump plans to withdraw from Germany about ten thousand troops. Spiegel weekly noted that the head of the White House did not inform the German colleagues about this and “took them by surprise.”
Forbes published a material entitled: “Before Trump, Russia took 60 hours to overcome NATO. Now Moscow can win much faster.”
According to the author of the publication, any reduction in American forces in Europe will lead to a weakening of the alliance. The Baltic countries, he noted, are the most vulnerable territory. Already after 2014, NATO forces could not resist the possible “attack” of Moscow on Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania.
According to Forbes, Russia has 760 tanks that can be quickly deployed to this region. The forces of the North Atlantic Alliance have only 130, most of which are American. So, the magazine notes, NATO will not be able to withstand Russian forces even despite its superiority in the air.
After the contraction of the American contingent in Europe, “Russia may not need 60 hours to capture the Baltic states,” the author concluded. In his view, now the eastern members of NATO will become even more vulnerable.