The US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to withdraw five thousand American troops from Germany.
This is reported by The Hill and The Wall Street Journal.
According to a senior Pentagon official, the redeployment will return the number of US troops in Europe to approximately the level it was before 2022. One army brigade will be withdrawn from Germany, as well as, probably, other US units stationed in the country.
In addition, the changes will affect the battalion of long-range missile systems, which the previous administration planned to deploy in the country at the end of 2026.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the US took this step after a thorough review of US forces in Europe. According to him, the military will be withdrawn over the next 6-12 months.
A few days ago, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized Washington, saying that the United States had no strategy for a war with Iran. A Pentagon spokesman called the German Chancellorʼs statements "inappropriate" and said that Trump ordered the withdrawal of troops in response to "counterproductive remarks by Merz”.
Earlier this week, Trump also threatened to withdraw US troops from Spain and Italy. No decision has been made on that yet.
UPD at 12:40: German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius commented on the US plans to withdraw some of its troops. According to him, such a move by the Americans was expected. Now it should encourage Europe to take greater responsibility for its own security.
In this regard, Pistorius says, Germany is moving in the right direction — expanding its army, increasing weapons purchases, and developing military infrastructure.
At the same time, the Minister of Defense emphasized that the presence of US troops in Europe is in the interests of both European countries and Washington.
- Germany is the center of the American presence in Europe. Currently, approximately 36 000 US troops are based there. In total, there are 85 000 American troops in Europe, according to the WSJ.
- The Trump administration has previously considered withdrawing troops from NATO countries that did not help during the war with Iran and redeploying them to countries that actively supported the US military campaign. According to the WSJ, this plan could lead to more US troops being deployed closer to Russiaʼs western borders.
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