Trump administration to cut 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany
The Pentagon plans to withdraw about 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, senior defense officials said Friday.
Officials called the move a signal of President Trump’s dissatisfaction with the level of assistance offered by European allies in the U.S.-Iran war. Mr. Trump has publicly criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the leaders of other NATO member states for not getting directly involved in the US military campaign against Iran.
The American army has had a massive presence in Germany since World War II and the Cold War. More than 36,000 active-duty troops were stationed at bases across Germany last December, alongside nearly 1,500 reservists and 11,500 civilians, according to Defense Ministry figures.
Japan is the only foreign country with a greater presence of American troops.
Germany is also home to the headquarters of U.S. European Command and Africa Command, and its Ramstein Air Base is a key hub for U.S. operations.
Some of the U.S. forces that are being moved out of Europe could return to the United States and then be deployed overseas, defense officials said, describing it as an effort to focus on the Pentagon’s priorities at home and in the Indo-Pacific region.
The withdrawals will not affect the transportation of injured soldiers to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, officials said. Landstuhl is the largest American hospital abroad and has took care of American forces injured by Iranian strikes.
Defense officials said the withdrawal would affect a brigade combat team in Germany, after the number of teams in Europe increased following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A long-range rifle battalion scheduled to deploy to Germany later this year will also be reassigned.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said the withdrawal would take place over the next six to 12 months.
“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,” Parnell said in a statement.
Mr. Trump hinted earlier this week that he was considering troop reductions in Germany. He has become increasingly frustrated with Merz in recent days, after the German chancellor said this week that “the Americans clearly have no strategy” on Iran and claimed the United States was being “humiliated” by Iranian negotiators.
The US president later wrote in two Truth Social articles that Merz “doesn’t know what he’s talking about” and was “interfering with those getting rid of the Iranian nuclear threat.” Merz said Wednesday that he was still on good terms with Mr. Trump.
Those exchanges exposed broader disagreements between Mr. Trump and many NATO allies, who have avoided directly joining the United States’ war against Iran and have grappled with higher energy prices because of disrupted fuel shipments. The president threatened to leave NATO, calling the alliance a “paper tiger” for failing to enter the war. A law of 2023 prevents the president to withdraw the United States from NATO without Congressional approval.
Mr. Trump has criticized NATO for years, accusing alliance members of not spending enough on their militaries and of being too dependent on the United States. In recent years, he has also argued that European countries should take more responsibility for helping Ukraine as it faces a Russian invasion that passed the four-year mark in February.
The president had considered withdrawing thousands of troops from Germany near the end of his first term, a decision that was reversed by former President Joe Biden.
