Maintain U.S. leadership role as NATO SACEUR commander

The Trump administration's consideration to give up the role of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), held exclusively by American generals since Eisenhower, would significantly undermine American influence and leadership within NATO. Surrendering this crucial position risks being perceived as a first step towards abandoning the alliance altogether, which would play directly into Putin's goals of weakening Western alliances and diminishing American global standing. Relinquishing the SACEUR role would signal a retreat from Europe's defense and embolden Russia's aggressive behavior. As a core tenet of NATO, the U.S. must uphold its commitment to collectively defend allies, which the SACEUR oversees. Giving up this command would jeopardize America's ability to coordinate military operations and response against Russian aggression, ultimately compromising European security. The proposed consolidation of combatant commands is projected to save only 0.03% of the annual defense budget while potentially compromising vital strategic interests. This meager cost-cutting should not come at the expense of American global leadership and influence within the alliance that has safeguarded European peace since World War II. Maintaining the SACEUR position held by accomplished American generals reinforces deterrence against adversaries and upholds U.S. commitment to its strongest allies. I urge reconsideration of this misguided restructuring that would severely undermine American power and prestige on the world stage.