American troops have largely left Estonia after the Pentagon paused new deployments to Europe and launched a review of its global force posture, according to Estonian public broadcaster ERR. Only a small part of the agreed contingent — mostly support personnel — remains in the NATO border state. A senior Estonian lawmaker says Washington's decision on its forces in Europe could come within months.
A contingent below its agreed floor
Under the current defense cooperation agreement between Estonia and the US, an American contingent of 500 to 700 troops should be stationed in the country. Only a small portion of that personnel remains, mostly service and support units, ERR reported.
Kalev Stoicescu, head of the Riigikogu's national defense committee from the Eesti 200 party, said the situation amounts to a paused rotation inside a wider review of the US presence in Europe.
"They began the rotation, but its implementation is suspended until a final decision on the presence of US armed forces in Europe. That decision could be made within six months," he said.
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A summer rotation with no return date
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said:
"The Americans traditionally rotate in summer. That process is underway now, but because of the force structure review, we don't yet know how many troops and which units will arrive."
Estonian politicians read the pause as Washington seeking to shift more of NATO's security burden onto European members. The UK and French contingents remain in Estonia and keep their planned rotations.
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A pattern along the Baltic frontier
Estonia is the second Baltic state to face a US rotation gap in weeks. More than 1,000 US troops with Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles began leaving Lithuania in June with no confirmed replacement, the first such gap since 2020. The Pentagon's review is already pulling thousands of troops from Germany and Poland, and US officials have told Baltic and Nordic allies that some contracted weapons deliveries will be delayed.
The drawdown lands against a chorus of European intelligence warnings that Russia could be ready to test NATO within years of the fighting in Ukraine slowing, with most alliance defense chiefs pointing to a window around 2029 — while Europe's own rearmament plans mature only by 2030.
