Germany says U.S. troop withdrawal ‘anticipated’, Spain and Italy could be next : NPR
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz makes a statement during his visit to the army at the Bundeswehr base in Munster, Germany, Thursday, April 30, 2026.
Markus Schreiber/AP
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Markus Schreiber/AP
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius sought to restore calm on Saturday after the Pentagon announced it would withdraw around 5,000 troops from his country, calling the move “anticipated” and insisting his country was ready to shoulder more of the burden of its defense.
“The presence of American troops in Europe, and particularly in Germany, is in our interest and in the interest of the United States,” the defense minister told the German news agency dpa. Pistorius added that if Germany wants to remain a transatlantic partner, it must work to strengthen the European pillar within NATO. The Trump administration’s announcement Friday that it would withdraw its troops from Germany sparked concerns among European allies, raising new questions about the sustainability of the NATO alliance and the long-term U.S. commitment to the continent.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to NPR on Saturday that the order came from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and reflected “a thorough review of the department’s force posture in Europe” and conditions on the ground.
“We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to 12 months,” Parnell said.
The withdrawal would leave more than 30,000 U.S. troops in Germany — reversing a buildup that began under President Biden after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The announcement comes days after Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly said the United States was being “humiliated” by Iranian leaders and criticized U.S. strategy in the war, according to the Associated Press.
The president attempted a similar reduction during his first term, when he sought to withdraw about 9,500 troops from Germany in 2020, citing insufficient German defense spending. This effort was unsuccessful and was formally canceled by President Biden shortly after taking office in 2021.
Allison Hart, a NATO spokeswoman, said Saturday that the alliance was working with the United States to understand the details of the withdrawal, and that the announcement underscored the need for European members to invest more in their own defense.
Germany is already experiencing a historic expansion of its own defense forces in response to this invasion. Under Merz, the country is on track to spend the equivalent of more than three percent of its GDP on defense by next year – well above NATO’s 2 percent benchmark, according to plans presented last year.
Trump also indicated this week that he was also considering troop reductions in Italy and Spain.
“Yeah, I probably will… look, why not?,” Trump told reporters Thursday, pointing the finger at both countries for what he described as unnecessary responses to the Iran conflict. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez have both openly criticized US military action in Iran.
