Germany Urges New Boost From Europe on Its Own Defense After Trump Pulls US Troops – RedState
The United States has maintained a military presence in Germany since 1945, primarily as part of NATO’s goal, as the saying goes, of keeping the Soviets out and the Germans down. But times are changing, and with the end of the Cold War, the demise of the Soviet Union, and Russia’s difficulty holding its place in a much smaller Ukraine, well, times are changing. For some time now, many players in the American defense structure have questioned the reasons for maintaining such a significant American presence in Germany; after all, we no longer worry much about thousands of Russian tanks invading Fulda Gap.
Following President Trump’s order to withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius downplayed the move and called on NATO to step up its efforts and take more responsibility for Europe’s defense. He’s not wrong.
Germany’s defense minister sought to downplay the impact of Washington’s decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from the country, presenting the move as expected and using it to highlight the need for Europe to take greater responsibility for its own security.
“It was planned that the United States would withdraw its troops from Europe, including Germany,” Boris Pistorius said on Saturday, adding that “if we want to remain transatlantic, we must strengthen the European pillar within NATO.”
NATO said it was “working with the United States to understand the details” of the Pentagon’s decision to withdraw troops. The Trump administration’s decision “underscores the need for Europe to invest more in defense,” NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said in a statement.
That’s a good point. The Cold War is over and Europe will not be the scene of another major combined arms conflict between East and West in the near future. The domestic problems facing Europe are far more likely to lead to the end of European culture and civilization than any conventional conflict. It is precisely for such an eventuality that American troops have been stationed in Germany for so long (myself included, for a brief stint), and this need is now fading into history.
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Note that the withdrawal of American troops was motivated by small exchanges between President Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Trump had threatened to withdraw some troops from the NATO ally earlier this week after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the United States was being “humiliated” by Iran’s leaders and criticized Washington’s lack of strategy in the war.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that “the decision follows a thorough review of the department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground.”
That doesn’t make it a bad idea. NATO countries have been counting on this American defensive umbrella for quite a long time. Either way, it is high time for Europe to stand up for itself. President Trump has worked with NATO countries to push them to increase their defense spending, at least to match treaty requirements, and most of them are now doing so, especially as it appears that the withdrawal of U.S. troops will not be limited to Germany.
Trump also threatened to withdraw US troops from Spain and Italy, amid new attacks on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Italian leader Giorgia Meloni. Madrid and Rome, like Berlin, have criticized the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Very good, good. Let them deal with their own problems, internal and external.
Editor’s note: Thanks to President Trump and the bold leadership of his administration, we are respected on the world stage and our enemies are put on notice.
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