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Since U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich became NATO’s top military officer in July 2025, the alliance has contended with Russian drone incursions, hybrid warfare against its members, and Moscow’s continued aggression in Ukraine. Now the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the career fighter pilot is trying to guide a major transformation of the forces under his command. The NATO Force Model is being adapted as the Trump administration scales back the forces it would offer Europe in a crisis as a means of rebalancing toward Pacific threats. Members of the alliance, meanwhile, are ramping up spending and stepping into greater roles. Grynkewich, who also heads U.S. European Command, joined Air & Space Forces Magazine for an interview at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe near Mons, Belgium. The text has been edited for length.
“It’s incredible to watch how allies are stepping up and taking more of a leadership role in the alliance,” Grynkewich says. NATO photo
Q
What are the NATO Force Model cuts and what are their implications?
A
I won’t get into specifics about which things have been adjusted, since that is classified, but we have said it’s air and maritime capabilities, and that allies should step forward and fill some of those requirements. From my perspective as SACEUR, this makes me have a more realistic plan. The U.S. is accounting for other global contingencies and not promising something it may not be able to give. I now have a signal on what capabilities they may withhold, so allies have a realistic expectation of what they need to contribute. The U.S. typically said “everything is available” and decided at the point of need. Other nations have withheld capabilities for their own national plans; this is just the first time the United States is doing that, based on other national interests.
Q
Polish and Finnish officials have expressed interest in nuclear sharing, using dual-capable aircraft to employ U.S. nuclear weapons in a war. What are the implications of expanding that mission?
A
In general, additional flexibility is never bad for a commander to have, but it is a political decision and there are some strategic implications of it.
Q
President Trump has said additional U.S. troops will be sent to Poland, but no forces have been sent. Do you have clarity on that?
A
All pre-decisional at this point. I’ve been given the order to do some planning and make some proposals and options, and we’ll complete that process and get guidance from the Secretary on how he wants to proceed.
Q
How do you assess the Russian threat?
A
Russian air and missile forces have not been subject to the same attrition the Ukrainians have imposed on Russian ground forces. They still have the platforms and capabilities—bombers, fighters, ballistic missiles. They’re expending some munitions in Ukraine, but the platforms are there, and production for replacement ballistic and cruise missiles continues. So they have considerable firepower and potential in the Russian Aerospace Forces, and you pair that with one-way attack drones. This kind of combined aerospace attack is something we’re going to have to be ready to counter. Russia is also modernizing and building the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter. They’ve got their big six weapons programs. That modernization maybe hasn’t continued at the planned pace because of the war, but it does continue, and we’re watching it very closely.
Q
What are the implications of shifting some long-standing U.S.-commanded alliance headquarters to other NATO nations?
A
The big shift is that allies are going to fill two of our four-star commands underneath SHAPE and in Allied Command Operations that traditionally have been filled by American officers. That’s a good sign of Europeans stepping up. We have joint commands at the four-star level and domain commands at the three-star level. We’ve done work to optimize how those commands link together, and the near-to-midterm plan is to test that through our exercise program.
Q
Are NATO facilities sufficiently hardened to deal with a Russian attack, such as those Iran launched across the Middle East with missiles and drones?
A
I won’t get into the specifics of what’s hardened, but we clearly account for that threat. We think through a range of active and passive measures—active being traditional air defense and nontraditional electronic warfare against drone attacks, and passive hardening such as camouflage, dispersion, and dispersal, which we exercise regularly.
Q
On a high level, what do allies need to do?
A
The Hague spending commitments were not pulled out of thin air. The 3.5 percent is derived from the capability requirements resident in our plans. The first thing allies need to do is spend the money and ramp up quickly to keep pace with the evolving threat. Second, that money needs to go toward their capability targets, thought of in the context of the evolution of warfare. In other words, don’t build me an armored brigade today with a target that looks like one did in 2021. It needs to account for the evolution of operations. We get a lot of help from SACT, the Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation, who pulls lessons learned out of Ukraine and runs war games on future force structure.
Q
What is your core message?
A
A couple things. First, it’s incredible to watch how allies are stepping up and taking more of a leadership role—there is a shift toward a much stronger Europe that will make a stronger, more durable alliance over time, a NATO 3.0. Coming out of The Hague Summit, we are getting more capable every single day. The burden shift is underway. Second, we say we’re transitioning to a warfighting headquarters, but we are ready today. Will we be more ready after more exercises and capabilities? Absolutely. But we are ready today, it’s serious business, and allies are taking that seriously.
After the Ankara Summit
Q
What was your assessment of the outcome of the Ankara Summit?
A
President Trump said there was a lot of love in the room at the Summit. I was in the room, and it was an incredible display of unity in response to President Trump’s leadership. Our allies are stepping up on their investments and providing additional capabilities to Allied Command Operations. This will ultimately deliver the capabilities we need to better deter and defend every inch of alliance territory—not just today and tomorrow, but well into the future.
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
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