WASHINGTON—Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle have expressed dismay to learn some U.S. troops had been pulled back from the eastern edge of the NATO alliance space, and have questioned why they weren’t consulted about the move.
On Oct. 29, Romania’s Defense Ministry was the first to draw attention to a decision to cancel a brigade-sized rotation of U.S. troops through Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia.
The Romanian military said this decision “took into account the fact that NATO had strengthened its presence and activity on the Eastern Flank, which allows the United States to adjust its military posture in the region.”…