The top U.S. military officer in Europe said on Tuesday that he recommends that the president maintain the same European presence in light of the force posture review.

U.S. European Command Commander Gen. Christopher Cavoli told the House Armed Services Committee that he’s “consistently recommended” keeping the troop levels where they’re at in Europe since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 

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CNN reported last month that the Pentagon is considering merging European Command and Africa Command into a single combatant command. NBC News also reported that it is reviewing a proposal that could see the department withdraw up to 10,000 troops from Eastern Europe.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has said that the department will turn its attention away from Europe and focus on the Indo-Pacific.

“It’s my advice to maintain that force posture as it is now. We have reviewed periodically since in 2022 we originally surged forces forward,” Cavoli said. “We have periodically reviewed the force structure at both the military level and the policy level, and I have consistently recommended throughout that period to maintain the forces we surged forward, and I would continue to do so.”

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, agreed with the sentiment, admitting that he’s “concerned by reports that some at the [Department of Defense]” are considering “significantly reducing our posture in Europe.”

Hegseth signed a memo last month that called for the military to prioritize preparing to win a possible war against China by “assuming risk” in Europe and other parts of the world.

During his first trip to Europe as secretary in February, Hegseth said, “We’re also here today to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe. The United States faces consequential threats to our homeland. We must — and we are — focusing on the security of our own borders.”

A major proponent of this line of thinking is Elbridge Colby, Trump’s pick to serve as undersecretary of policy at the Pentagon, whom the Senate confirmed on Tuesday.

Cavoli appeared in front of the committee alongside Katherine Thompson, the acting assistant secretary for international security affairs. She told lawmakers the Pentagon is “undergoing a global force posture review,” but “no decisions have been made at this time.”

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He appeared in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee last week with Gen. Michael Langley, the commander of U.S. Africa Command.

Langley called the possibility of merging U.S. European Command with U.S. Africa Command a “daunting task,” while Cavoli said it would be a “stretch” and “would have to be studied very, very closely.”