WASHINGTON -- US Congressman Don Bacon, a senior Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, has warned in a wide-ranging interview that uncertainty from Washington risks emboldening adversaries, including Russia, Iran, and China, amid growing strains within the NATO alliance.
The former Air Force general spoke to RFE/RL as the Pentagon announced plans to reduce the number of US Brigade Combat Teams assigned to Europe from four to three, delaying a planned deployment to Poland.
Bacon said the troop review reflected a broader debate about how the United States confronts simultaneous challenges from Russia, China, Iran, and extremist groups.
Arguing that ‘ambiguity is dangerous in this world,’ he said that Washington and its allies could not afford any lack of strategic clarity as those threats become increasingly interconnected.
'Three Problem Areas'
Bacon described Russia’s war in Ukraine, China’s pressure on Taiwan, and Iran’s regional activities as Washington’s main strategic challenges.
“We've clearly got three problem areas,” he said. “We have the issue with China and Taiwan... It’s clear we have a problem with Russia invading Ukraine... Well, we've always had this problem with Iran. Iran's been the leading exporter of terror.”
He added that terrorism linked to extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State forms a “fourth area” of concern.
Asked about coordination among Russia, Iran, and China, Bacon said “these folks are working together.”
“But,” he added, “they have nobody else....all three are pariah states.”
Still, he argued the democratic alliance system gives the West a structural advantage.
“It’s much better to be us on the side of freedom, because we have a much broader array of allies,” Bacon said. “But we've got to invest in it and protect it.”
Russia 'Testing The Resolve' Of NATO
Bacon spoke as concern grows in parts of Europe over Russian military pressure around NATO territory and fears of a weakening American commitment to European security.
“[Putin is] testing the resolve of the United States and individual NATO countries, and NATO itself,” Bacon said.
The congressman warned that signals suggesting a reduced US military footprint in Europe could encourage risk-taking by Moscow.
“What I'm hearing is: ‘You guys aren't doing enough, so we're going to do less.’ That's not a good message for Russia,” he said.
NATO's been a great alliance, the best in history in humanity. We should protect it and preserve it, make it better.”
Bacon instead argued for a formula in which Europe increases defense spending while Washington maintains its current posture.
“The right answer is Europe does more, and America stays the same, stable,” he said. “What we have right now is a good force structure.”
He emphasized deterrence as the best way to avoid wider conflict.
“You know what costs more than a strong deterrence is war,” Bacon said. “Having a strong deterrence saves us money.”
Bacon sharply criticized the Pentagon’s handling of recent troop redeployments in Eastern Europe, including the withdrawal of a US brigade from Romania.
“They took the brigade out of Romania without telling Congress or Romania until after it was [done],” he said. “That’s not how you treat allies.”
Referring to reports that a planned deployment of roughly 4,000 US troops to Poland had been halted, Bacon warned such moves send “a terrible message” to both Russia and Eastern European allies.
He singled out Poland and the Baltic states -- Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania -- as countries whose historical experience under Soviet domination continues to shape their security fears.
“These four countries were under Soviet domination,” he said. “Almost every family knows someone who got shot in the woods or sent to Siberia.”
“They know what it's like to live under a totalitarian Russian-run government,” he added.
Bacon also praised those countries for sharply increasing defense spending.
“Poland is at 4.8 percent GDP. They're kicking our butts in this area,” Bacon said. “So are the three Baltic countries.”
NATO Allies Need 'Clarity'
Bacon’s comments came ahead of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s trip to Sweden for a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Helsingborg on May 22 that is expected to focus on defense spending and burden sharing.
Throughout the interview, Bacon repeatedly defended NATO as central to Western security.
“NATO's been a great alliance, the best in history in humanity,” he said. “We should protect it and preserve it, make it better.”
Asked whether allies should prepare for a future in which the United States no longer leads NATO, Bacon called such a scenario “a terrible mistake.”
We should not take any pressure off any sanctions on Russia. We should have our foot on their neck.”
“There’s a few people here, they have a go-it-alone mindset,” he said. “But that's going more weakly, at least as more vulnerable when we go alone.”
Echoing Winston Churchill, Bacon added: “There's only one thing worse than allies, that's having no allies.”
He also rejected claims that European countries are failing to contribute militarily.
“There are a lot of countries that are letting us fly out of their air bases, and they're doing combat missions into Iran,” he said. “So, they were helping us out.”
Bacon said Rubio should use the Sweden meeting to provide allies with a clearer sense of Washington’s military plans.
“Maybe Secretary Rubio can come in with some information, some clarity, and help clear the air, because right now nobody knows what's going on,” the congressman said.
Referring to ongoing uncertainty surrounding force posture decisions, he added: “It's like the blind leading the blind over at the Pentagon.”
Ukraine 'Has the Momentum'
Bacon argued Ukraine remains capable of shifting the trajectory of the war despite claims that Kyiv cannot prevail militarily.
“Ukraine has the momentum right now,” he said, pointing to Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia.
“They're bombing oil facilities near Moscow,” Bacon said. “Now the Russians are seeing explosions going off in Moscow.”
The Ukrainians are “fighting for their lives,” he added. “When you fight for your life, you fight desperately, and you fight with innovation and creatively.”
Bacon also backed tougher sanctions on Moscow.
“That’s why we’re going to vote on sanctions here in the first week of June,” he said. “We were able to take the keys away from the speaker and the president, and we're going to force a vote on the floor.”
“I believe the House will overwhelmingly vote for sanctions against Russia, because that's the will of the people…’ he added. “We should not take any pressure off any sanctions on Russia. We should have our foot on their neck.”
Bacon also argued that there was still broad bipartisan support for Ukraine and NATO.
“You have about 70 percent of Americans supporting Ukraine and supporting a strong NATO alliance,” he said.
Recalling Britain’s pre-World War II appeasement debate, Bacon added: “I want to be on the right side of history. I want to be the Churchill, not [Neville] Chamberlain, when it comes to Russia and Ukraine.”
Iran And The Risk Of Escalation
On Iran, Bacon argued that military pressure may still be necessary if Tehran refuses major concessions on its nuclear program.
“They can have no nuclear weapon,” he said. “I think military force is needed.”
At the same time, he said any extended military campaign should receive congressional authorization and rejected deploying US ground troops, arguing operations should remain “air only.”
Bacon also warned that recent conflicts exposed vulnerabilities in Western missile stockpiles and air defenses.
“We burned through a lot of Patriots, a lot of different high-end missiles,” he said. “We've got to, like, double production.”
'A Long-Term Impact'
Beyond disputes over troop deployments and sanctions, Bacon repeatedly returned to what he described as a deeper concern: erosion of trust between the United States and its allies.
“We've initiated some petty fights that are causing grave strategic damage...” he said. “I fear what we're seeing now, what the impacts are five and 10, 15 years down the road.”
Still, he insisted the Western alliance remains stronger than the informal alignment between Moscow, Tehran, and Beijing.
“In the end,” he said, “it's much better to be us on the side of freedom.”
