The Americans can leave command of NATO to the Europeans – they have had this exclusive right since 1951

US President Donald Trump is considering removing exclusive American control over the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), a position that has been held by American generals since 1951.

For almost 75 years, it was the primary American responsibility to have a four-star American general oversee all NATO military operations in Europe, a command that began with World War II hero and future president Dwight D. Eisenhower.

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The Trump administration, according to two defense officials familiar with Pentagon planning and briefings reviewed by NBC News, is considering changing that practice. cnbc.

The Pentagon is undertaking a major restructuring of the U.S. military’s combat commands and headquarters. One plan under consideration, according to two defense officials, would involve the U.S. relinquishing its role as NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe, known in military parlance as SACEUR.

The general who now holds the role, who also serves as head of U.S. European Command, was the top commander overseeing support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. It is not clear how long such an arrangement might take.

Giving up SACEUR would be, if nothing else, a major symbolic shift in the balance of power in NATO, an alliance that has defined European security and peace since World War II, the Telegraph reports.

“Relinquishing the United States’ role as NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe would be seen as a significant signal of departure from the alliance. It would be a political mistake of epic proportions, and once we take it away, they will never get it back. We would lose a huge amount of influence within NATO, and it would be seen as the first step toward a complete departure from the Alliance,” retired Admiral James Stavridis, who served as SACEUR and head of European Command from 2009 to 2013, said in an email.

Since Eisenhower inaugurated this position, it has been held by some of the nation's most prominent military leaders.

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In addition to Stavridis, there are Alexander Haig, who has also been chief of staff to two presidents and secretary of state to another president; John Shalikashvili, who became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Wesley Clark, who was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004.

The proposed restructuring comes after a period in which the Trump administration has cut spending and staffing in the federal government. President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have made clear that the new administration wants European partners to take more responsibility for Europe's defense. If the U.S. were to give up SACEUR, other NATO countries would have to choose among themselves who would appoint the commander.

Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members for failing to meet the alliance's goal of how much of its GDP each country should spend on defense. As NBC News previously reported, he is also considering a major policy shift in which the U.S. might not defend another NATO member if it is attacked, a core tenet of the alliance, if the country fails to meet a defense spending threshold.

The timeframe for this change in SACEUR, if it occurs, has not yet been determined. Army General Chris Cavoli, the current SACEUR, is on a three-year term that is expected to end this summer.

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Five of the 11 combat forces commands could be consolidated under the plan being considered, two defense officials familiar with the plan said.

The massive restructuring plan being considered could also include two potential changes that NBC News has previously reported on: consolidating U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command into one command headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, as well as closing U.S. Special Operations Command in Florida to merge with U.S. Northern Command. /Telegraph/