Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Friday ordered the withdrawal of about 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, days after the German chancellor criticized U.S. strategy in the war in Iran.
The move follows Wednesday’s announcement from President Trump on Truth Social that the White House would be “studying and reviewing” a possible reduction in U.S. troop strength “over the next short period of time.”
“This 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,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to The Washington Times.
A standard infantry brigade has about 3,000 to 5,000 personnel.
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Pentagon officials said the troop pullout should be completed within six months to a year.
There are about 35,000 U.S. active duty military personnel based in Germany, the largest U.S. troop presence in Europe. Major hubs for American service members include Ramstein Air Base and the Grafenwoehr Training Area.
While President Trump has often called for Europe to assume responsibility for its own defense, his latest comments came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s criticism of U.S. strategy in its conflict with Iran.
“The Americans clearly have no strategy, and the problem with conflicts like this is always that you don’t just have to go in; you also have to get out again,” Mr. Merz said Tuesday.
Mr. Trump responded on social media, “The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (where he has been totally ineffective!) and fixing his broke country, especially immigration and energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran nuclear threat, thereby making the world, including Germany, a safer place.”
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Mr. Trump “should immediately reverse this foolish decision.”
“Withdrawing thousands of American troops from one of our most important strategic positions in the middle of a war is a serious mistake that will reverberate well beyond this moment,” Mr. Reed said in a statement. “Weakening our military footprint in Europe at a time when Russian forces continue to mercilessly attack Ukraine and harass our NATO allies is a priceless gift to [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and suggests American commitments to our allies are dependent on the president’s mood. The president should immediately cease this reckless action before he causes irreversible consequences for our alliances and long-term national security.”
