Trump administration is pulling 5,000 troops from Germany
WASHINGTON — The United States is withdrawing about 5,000 troops from Germany, Pentagon officials said Friday, after President Donald Trump grew angered by the German chancellor’s criticism of the war with Iran.
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The move would include a brigade combat team as well as other forces in Germany, the officials said. The decision does not appear to affect the U.S. military’s massive medical support bases, such as Landstuhl, where thousands of troops, including those injured during the war, have been taken to receive medical treatment.
The decision was a direct response to comments from Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but also reflected Trump’s frustration that U.S. allies are not doing enough, according to a senior Pentagon official. Trump threatened Germany and other NATO allies over their refusal to engage in the U.S.-Israeli-led war against Iran. He suggested earlier this week that he might withdraw his troops from Germany.
“The Europeans failed to respond when America needed them to,” the official said. “This cannot be a one-way street. »
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the drawdown figure in a statement Friday and said it would be completed over the next six months to a year.
“This decision follows a thorough review of the department’s force posture in Europe and is a recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground,” he said.
The White House referred questions to the Pentagon. A spokesperson for the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., declined to comment.
Speaking to German high school students this week, Chancellor Merz said the United States was being humiliated by Iranian leaders.
“The Americans obviously have no strategy,” the German leader said. He compared Trump’s war on Iran to that of Afghanistan and Iraq. “This situation is, as I said, inconsiderate to say the least and I do not see at the moment what strategic exit the Americans are currently choosing.”
Trump could barely contain his frustration, posting online: “German Chancellor Friedrich Merz thinks it is acceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons. He doesn’t know what he is talking about!” Trump added that it was no surprise “that Germany is doing so badly, both economically and in other ways!” »
Merz nevertheless told reporters on Wednesday that his “personal relationship between the American president and me is, from my point of view, still good.”
The move comes just days after the head of Germany’s armed forces visited Washington to discuss a new military national security strategy that calls for major new investments in high-tech weapons.
Top Pentagon policymakers have long wanted to move U.S. forces away from Europe and the Middle East, potentially in favor of redeploying them to the Indo-Pacific.
During his first term, Trump announced he would withdraw about 9,500 of the approximately 34,500 U.S. troops then stationed in Germany, but that did not happen. Democratic President Joe Biden officially ended the planned withdrawal shortly after taking office in 2021.
