Lacking money, the US military had to borrow weapons from allies.

Continuous budget cuts have left the US military without any tanks or armed helicopters present in Europe.

Recently, US military forces stationed in Europe were forced to borrow British Black Hawk helicopters and equipment from other NATO member countries such as Germany and Hungary for military training exercises due to heavy cuts in the US defense budget, the Telegraph reported on October 19.

The US no longer has any tanks in Europe after transferring all heavy weapons and combat support machinery back home three years ago, while the number of US troops stationed here has also decreased by more than a third since 2012. Therefore, the US has decided to borrow weapons and equipment from allies for training instead of spending money to transfer these helicopters and tanks to Europe in a short time.

A Black Hawk military helicopter. Photo: Reuters

Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, commander of the US Army in Europe, said the lack of US forces and weapons and equipment necessary for military operations was a "risk to NATO", and that borrowing tanks, helicopters and other military equipment from allies was "necessary".

General Hodges said that budget and equipment cuts in Europe had left the US “without the intelligence capacity we needed” and as a result they had been “taken by surprise” by Russia’s moves in Ukraine and Syria. “We don’t have as many Russian-speaking experts as we used to, and I was personally taken aback by the surprise exercises and the intervention in Syria. We just didn’t have the ability to see and track what they were doing,” Hodges revealed.

The fact that the world’s most powerful military is having to borrow weapons to conduct military operations in Europe is a sign of its diminished presence, according to Telegraph commentator David Lawler. The Pentagon has significantly cut military spending in recent years, and resources are being focused on other hot spots in Asia and the Middle East.

As its military presence in Europe shrinks, the US is increasingly relying on Britain for equipment. However, Britain has just announced it will maintain 2% of GDP on military spending, and “if Britain cuts that budget, it will put pressure on other European countries,” General Hodges said.

At the end of the Cold War, the US had more than 200,000 troops stationed in Europe, but today that force is down to about 30,000. Meanwhile, many European military officials have called for the US to strengthen the military capabilities of its European allies so they can defend themselves.

The US administration has recently cut troop numbers in Iraq and Afghanistan and will continue to cut them in the future. Some US officials warn that such a drastic budget cut will put the US military in danger if the US has to fight two major wars at the same time.

According to VNE