The Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees issued a joint statement criticizing the idea of drastically changing the structure of the U.S. military command abroad.
They stated that they “will not accept” these changes without coordination with Congress and other agencies.
The statement marks one of the first major instances of Republican lawmakers opposing President Trump during his second term.
Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), and Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), responded to a Tuesday NBC News article stating that the Pentagon was considering removing its role as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR) as part of a restructuring of military commands and headquarters.
“U.S. combatant commands are the tip of the American spear. Therefore, we are very concerned about reports suggesting [the Department of Defense] is considering unilateral changes to major strategic issues, including significant reductions in U.S. forces stationed abroad, without coordination with the White House and Congress,” said the two chairmen.
“We support President Trump’s efforts to ensure our allies and partners increase their contributions to strengthen our alliance structure, and we support continued American leadership abroad. As such, we will not accept significant changes to our military structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and such cooperation that endangers U.S. interests under Congressional control by abandoning our negotiating positions with America’s adversaries,” they continued.
The statement indicated that the powerful committee chairmen, who oversee the annual drafting of military and defense authorization bills, could use the power of the purse and other legislative tools to fight such a change if the Trump administration proceeds with it.
The U.S. has had a four-star general overseeing NATO military operations in Europe for 75 years, NBC reported. The current SACEUR, Army General Christopher G. Cavoli, is also head of U.S. European Command and has overseen support for Ukraine.
