Brussels, 27/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - In a letter published in the Financial Times on 19 April, US Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Philip H. Gordon and his counterpart for defence, Alexander Vershbow, state US troops will not be withdrawn from Europe. Dispelling the “rumour” published by the same daily whereby Americans would have to withdraw their combat forces from Europe due to defence cuts, Gordon and Vershbow reaffirm how important the partnership between the United States and Europe is and underline the United States' continued commitment towards the European continent. President Barack Obama has decided to retain three of the four US brigades currently deployed in Europe after 2015, they write. These brigades will be complemented by new forward deployments of Aegis ships and special operations aircraft, a permanent aviation detachment in Poland, and land-based missile defence systems in Poland and Romania. President Obama's decision, announced on 8 April by the US Department of Defence, “reverses the Bush administration's decision” to withdraw half of the US brigades based in Europe, Vershbow and Gordon state, pointing out that this decision was taken “after extensive review and broad consultations with allies”. The US president is, moreover, to travel to several European countries early May (Ireland, United Kingdom, France and Poland) to tackle “critical issues” such as Iran, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Africa and the world economy, they say. According to the press release from the Department of Defence, the three combat brigades (aviation, mechanised and heavy) will be kept in place after 2015 and will provide capabilities allowing the US command in Europe to coordinate with European allies and ensure the full spectrum of military operations, “including collective defence”. Most US troops are currently deployed in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. (A.By./transl.jl)