Newsletters
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated Saturday that the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany "was to be expected."
He called on European allies to shoulder greater responsibility for their own security, while stressing that the presence of American soldiers in Europe remained "in our interest and in the interest of the United States."
"That US troops are withdrawing from Europe and also from Germany was to be expected. We Europeans must take greater responsibility for our security," Pistorius said in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
He put the current number of U.S. troops stationed in Germany at "almost 40,000," slightly above the Pentagon's stated figure of approximately 36,000.
He said Germany was "on the right track," citing the expansion of the Bundeswehr, faster equipment procurement and defense infrastructure construction.
"The presence of American soldiers in Europe, and especially in Germany, is in our interest and in the interest of the United States. Still, it was foreseeable that the U.S. would withdraw troops from Europe, including Germany," he added.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is working with the United States to understand the details of the U.S. decision to draw down U.S. troops from Germany, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart stated on Saturday.
"We are working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany," she noted.
"This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defense and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security, where we’re already seeing progress since Allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP at the NATO Summit in The Hague last year," the NATO spokesperson said.
"We remain confident in our ability to provide for our deterrence and defense as this shift towards a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO continues," the official concluded.
The troop withdrawal announcement came alongside Trump's announcement that tariffs on EU cars and trucks would rise to 25% next week, with Trump accusing the bloc of non-compliance with last summer's trade deal.
The withdrawal was directly tied to Merz's recent statement that Iran was "humiliating" Washington at the negotiating table, to which Trump responded that Merz "thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn't know what he's talking about."
Germany is the largest U.S. military basing location in Europe, hosting approximately 35,000-40,000 active-duty personnel, including EUCOM and AFRICOM headquarters, Ramstein Air Base, and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
The Pentagon said the withdrawal of 5,000 troops would be completed over the next six to twelve months.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
