US Democratic senators urge Rubio to involve State Department in Europe review — Anadolu Agency
In the United States, a group of Democratic senators called on Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio to ensure the full participation of the State Department in the Pentagon's review of the US military presence in Europe. Anadolu Agency reports.
Letter to Rubio
The initiative was led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the senior Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The letter was also signed by Richard Blumenthal, Tammy Duckworth, Mazie Hirono, Tim Kaine, Angus King, Jacky Rosen and Mark Kelly.
The senators said that decisions on the deployment of US troops and the structure of the US military presence in Europe should be made through an interagency process that takes into account both military and diplomatic interests.
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Concerns about consultations
In their appeal, the lawmakers expressed concern over reports of insufficient consultations between the Department of Defense and the State Department during the review. They stressed that Rubio, who combines the roles of National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, must ensure substantive participation by the diplomatic agency at all stages of the process.
The Pentagon announced the Europe Force Posture Review in June. The review is expected to cover the deployment of US troops and the structure of the US military presence in Europe. According to the senators, decisions resulting from it could affect Washington's relations with NATO allies. They also said that US ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in countries potentially affected by the changes were not involved in the consultations.
