NATO’s top commander said Thursday that the United States will continue supplying the alliance with “critical but more limited capabilities” as Europeans assume a greater role in defending the continent.

U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, discussed the evolving division of responsibilities during a phone interview with Reuters.

Grynkewich was traveling to a change of command ceremony at NATO headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia.

A British army general will take over from a U.S. Navy vice admiral there.

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The leadership change comes as NATO increases intelligence sharing following sabotage and other incidents apparently linked to Russia.

Grynkewich said the alliance should remain calm and confident about its ability to confront threats from Moscow.

Denmark’s defense intelligence service recently warned that Russia was likely to intensify its hybrid war against the West in the coming months.

Hybrid warfare includes attacks conducted below the level of a conventional military assault.

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Image Credit: DoW

The Danish service also identified “a low but growing risk” that Moscow could launch a limited military attack against one or several NATO countries bordering Russia.

Recent incidents included an attempted drone attack at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport and a Russian ship firing flares toward a Danish military helicopter. “It’s concerning,” Grynkewich said.

“But we should be calm and confident that we as an alliance, the most powerful alliance in history, have the tools that we need and have the mechanisms that we need in order to manage the risk here,” he added.

Moscow has repeatedly denied involvement in hybrid warfare or sabotage operations inside NATO countries.

Russia also has denied plotting any confrontation with the alliance.

Asked about the possibility of a limited Russian assault on NATO territory, Grynkewich emphasized the alliance’s readiness for such a contingency.

He described that possibility as “unlikely but something that we can’t rule out”.

Grynkewich also rejected suggestions that Russian President Vladimir Putin could view current conditions as an opportunity to strike NATO.

The United States has used much of its global stockpile of highly accurate long range missiles in the war with Iran, according to people familiar with the data.

Image Credit: DoW

“Absolutely not. He better not try it on my watch,” Grynkewich said. He added that NATO remained positioned to defend every inch of its territory.

“If we proceed from the phase we’re in and we start to see emerging threats, I’m confident that I have the authorities now that I need in order to take actions to deter any aggression against the alliance.”

The Norfolk handover is part of a broader NATO command reshuffle that reflects President Donald Trump’s demands for European nations to assume more responsibility for their own security.

A European officer will also take command of NATO’s Joint Force Command in Naples.

NATO’s Joint Force Command Norfolk oversees operations in the Arctic and northern Europe. It is also responsible for protecting the transatlantic resupply routes that connect North America with European allies.

Grynkewich sought to reassure European allies concerned about an ongoing review of U.S. forces stationed on the continent.

He said there was “no predetermined outcome” regarding how many American troops would remain in Europe or “what the capabilities are that might relocate”.

Image Credit: DoW

About 80,000 U.S. troops are currently based in Europe.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to leave NATO, which has been dominated by the United States since its establishment in 1949, while accusing European countries of being free riders on security.

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