The House of Representatives’ National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes several provisions to prevent large-scale withdrawals of U.S. troops. The draft, released on May 26, 2026, aims to limit the Trump administration's ability to unilaterally withdraw troops from Europe and Asia, establishing a minimum of 76,000 U.S. troops in Europe and 28,500 in South Korea.
Additionally, the NDAA prohibits the removal of military technology valued over $500,000 from Europe and restricts the withdrawal of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, a position held by an American officer. The act also requires an assessment regarding the feasibility of repositioning troops or equipment to NATO's eastern flank before any withdrawal from countries under the United States European Command's responsibility.
The NDAA allocates $175 million to the Baltic states, despite the Pentagon not requesting this amount. The Trump administration has previously indicated a potential drawdown of U.S. forces in Europe, particularly after NATO allies did not contribute sufficiently to the U.S. efforts regarding Iran. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell noted a decrease in the number of brigade combat teams deployed to Europe from four to three, a change from the previous posture that had been in place until an additional team was deployed in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The number of U.S. troops in Europe had remained largely unchanged for over a decade until fluctuations occurred following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.