(Photo: Anadolu)
WASHINGTON – A group of US Senate Democrats urged Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio to ensure the State Department is fully involved in the Pentagon-led review of the US military posture in Europe.
In a letter to Rubio, the senators said decisions on troop deployments and force posture should be made through an interagency process that takes both military and diplomatic considerations into account.
The effort was led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, alongside Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Tammy Duckworth, Mazie Hirono, Tim Kaine, Angus King, Jacky Rosen and Mark Kelly.
The senators raised concerns that the Department of Defense had not sufficiently consulted the State Department on the Europe Force Posture Review, which the Pentagon announced in June.
They said US ambassadors and chiefs of mission in countries potentially affected by changes in military deployments should be included in the process.
The review is expected to assess US troop deployments and military posture across Europe, with possible implications for relations with NATO allies.
The lawmakers urged Rubio to use his roles as both secretary of state and national security adviser to ensure meaningful State Department participation before recommendations with long-term consequences for transatlantic relations are finalized.
