Top Republican Lawmakers Oppose Potential Pentagon Reshuffle Amid Reports: 'Such Moves Risk Undermining American Deterrence'

Top Republican lawmakers overseeing the Pentagon have expressed concerns over reports of possible adjustments to U.S. military commands under the Trump administration.

What Happened: Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the senior Republican lawmakers responsible for the Pentagon’s oversight committees, issued a joint statement expressing concern over reports that the Trump administration might relinquish the U.S. role as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The SACEUR role, responsible for overseeing all NATO operations in Europe, has been held by a four-star U.S. general since 1950, a command initiated by Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II.

Despite sources indicating that such a move has been discussed, no official announcement has been made, and it may not be a feasible option. Wicker and Rogers declared “We will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders and the Joint Staff, and collaboration with Congress.”

They cautioned that such changes could potentially weaken American deterrence globally and undermine U.S. negotiation positions with adversaries.

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Why It Matters: Lawmakers reacted to an NBC News report which first stated that the Trump administration may relinquish the role of NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, according to anonymous officials.

The potential reshuffling of military commands comes in the wake of President Donald Trump‘s cost-cutting campaign targeting the Pentagon's $800 billion budget. In February, Trump backed Elon Musk’s efforts to uncover “billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse” in the Defense Department spending. This move raised conflict-of-interest concerns due to Musk's SpaceX and Starlink contracts with the government.

However, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz dismissed these concerns, assuring that “all of the appropriate firewalls” would be in place. The potential reshuffling of commands could be seen as a continuation of this cost-cutting initiative, but it remains to be seen how it will impact the U.S.’s relations with its NATO allies.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.