President Trump is on a collision course with Republican defense hawks over the question of whether the United States should continue its 75-year military leadership of NATO and at what level of commitment.

Trump has criticized European allies for years for not contributing more to the military alliance, which was set up in 1949 to contain the Soviet Union. During his first term, Trump floated the idea of the United States withdrawing from NATO.

Now the Pentagon is considering an overhaul of the U.S. military’s combatant commands, including one scenario that would have the United States give up its role as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, according to NBC News, which cited defense officials familiar with the planning.

That news was met with a swift rebuke from Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), who issued a statement warning that any major changes to combatant commands must be done in coordination with Congress.

“We will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders and the Joint Staff, and collaboration with Congress,” they declared in a joint statement Wednesday.

Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who now serves as chair of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, also pushed back against the proposal to give up U.S. military leadership of NATO.

“Weakening American leadership won’t strengthen NATO or U.S. interests. If we’re serious about encouraging more capable European allies, retreating from our position as the leader of the trans-Atlantic alliance would be an odd way to show it,” he said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

© The Hill