Trump has asked the Pentagon to cut 5,000 US soldiers in Germany. At the moment, there are about 35–36,000 troops stationed there. The withdrawal is going to take up to a year and is part of the US plan to move forces around in Europe. The main reason given is the ongoing disagreement between Washington and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on how to deal with the war with Iran. Trump wants the EU to invest more in its own defence, but critics are worried that this will weaken NATO and strengthen Russia’s influence.
Trump has told the Pentagon to start pulling about 5,000 troops out of Germany. They made this decision after looking at how the US military is present in Europe and with all the political arguments with Berlin going on at the moment. The Hill says that the Pentagon has announced that it will take between six and twelve months to reduce the number of troops. This is part of a bigger plan to review how forces are deployed. At the moment, there are about 35–36,000 US troops stationed in Germany.
This has to do with the tension between Washington and the German leadership over the war with Iran. The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, had already criticised the US’s strategy, which caused the American administration to react strongly.
The US says that cutting back on the military presence is meant to get European allies to step up and take more responsibility for their own security. But critics say that this could make NATO weaker and help Russia.
The reduction is expected to bring the number of US troops in Germany back to roughly the level seen before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.