WASHINGTON — The Pentagon announced on Friday that the United States plans to reduce its military presence in Germany by approximately 5,000 troops over the next six to 12 months. This move aligns with President Donald Trump’s earlier threats amid ongoing tensions with German leadership concerning U.S. actions in the conflict with Iran.
President Trump had hinted earlier in the week at a potential troop withdrawal from Germany, a NATO ally, following comments from Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Merz had accused the U.S. of being “humiliated” by Iran’s leadership and criticized Washington for its perceived lack of strategy in the conflict.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell clarified the decision, stating it resulted from a comprehensive review of the Department of Defense’s military posture in Europe. He emphasized that the decision was made in consideration of theater requirements and the current conditions on the ground.
Germany is home to several key U.S. military installations, including the European and Africa Command headquarters, Ramstein Air Base, and a medical center in Landstuhl that has treated casualties from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Additionally, U.S. nuclear missiles are stationed within the country.
This troop reduction represents approximately 14% of the 36,000 American service members currently stationed in Germany.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius described the U.S. troop withdrawal as “foreseeable.” He also emphasized the mutual benefits of the U.S. military presence in Europe and Germany, despite the impending changes.
“The presence of American soldiers in Europe, and especially in Germany, is in our interest and in the interest of the U.S.,” Pistorius told the German news agency dpa, while adding that European allies needed to adjust their defense postures – and were doing so.
“We Europeans must take on more responsibility for our security,” he said, stressing recent efforts by Germany to boost its armed forces, accelerate procurement and develop infrastructure.
News of the troop withdrawal drew swift pushback from Democrats in Congress as well as a hawkish Washington think tank. They said the move will benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin and weaken U.S. security interests.
The withdrawal “suggests American commitments to our allies are dependent on the president’s mood,” said Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“The president should immediately cease this reckless action before he causes irreversible consequences for our alliances and long-term national security,” Reed said.
Bradley Bowman, a scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the U.S. military’s presence in Germany and elsewhere in Europe “not only strengthens deterrence against additional Kremlin aggression but also facilitates the projection of American military power into the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Africa.”
Trump ignored questions from reporters about the withdrawal on Friday as he boarded Air Force One in Ocala, Florida, following a rally to tout his economic agenda.
Trump made a similar threat in his first term, saying he would pull about 9,500 of the roughly 34,500 U.S. troops who were then stationed in Germany, but he didn’t start the process and Democratic President Joe Biden formally stopped the planned withdrawal soon after taking office in 2021.
The mercurial U.S. leader has mused for years about reducing the American military presence in Germany, and has railed against NATO for its refusal to assist Washington in the war, which began on Feb. 28 with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Trump wrote Wednesday on social media that the U.S. was reviewing possible troop reductions in Germany, with a “determination” to be made soon. On Thursday, he was still thinking about Merz, posting that the German leader should “spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine” and “fixing his broken Country” than concerning himself with Iran.
American allies in NATO have braced for a U.S. troop withdrawal since Trump took office, with Washington warning that Europe would have to look after its own security, including that of Ukraine, in the future.
Depending on operations, exercises and troop rotations, around 80,000-100,000 U.S. personnel are usually stationed in Europe. NATO allies have expected for more than a year that the U.S. troops deployed after Russia launched its all-out war on Ukraine in February 2022 would be first to leave.
Ed Arnold, an expert in European security at the Royal United Services Institute, or RUSI, in London, said Europe is more concerned about issues like a U.S. redeployment of Patriot missile systems and ammunition from Germany to the Middle East.
In October, the U.S. confirmed that it would reduce its troop presence on NATO’s borders with Ukraine. The move to cut 1,500-3,000 troops came on short notice and unsettled NATO ally Romania, where the military organization runs an air base.
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Madhani reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed.
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