United States withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany

(Patria) - The Pentagon announced on Friday that the United States is withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany, as a rift over the war in Iran widens between President Donald Trump and Europe, Reuters reported.

Trump had threatened troop reductions earlier this week following a clash with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said on Monday that the Iranians were humiliating the US in negotiations to end the two-month war and that he saw no exit strategy Washington was pursuing.

A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Merz’s rhetoric was “inappropriate and unhelpful” and that “the president is rightly reacting to these counterproductive statements.”

The Pentagon said the withdrawal is expected to be completed within the next six to twelve months. Germany is home to about 35,000 active-duty US military personnel, more than anywhere else in Europe.

The official said the reduction in US troops in Europe would return them to roughly pre-2022 levels, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted a buildup of forces by then-President Joe Biden.

The official also explained the decision as an effort by the Trump administration to make Europe the primary guarantor of security on the continent. But it is still another stark reminder of Trump’s willingness to retaliate against perceived disloyalty from allies.

Reuters exclusively reported last week on an internal Pentagon email that outlined options for punishing NATO allies that Washington deemed unsupportive of US operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain from NATO and reviewing the US stance on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands.

Clashes with Europeans

It is unclear whether more withdrawals from Europe will follow. On Thursday, Trump said “probably” when asked if he would consider withdrawing US troops from Italy and Spain.

Last month, he threatened a complete US trade embargo on Spain, where the socialist government said it would not allow its bases or airspace to be used to attack Iran. The US has two important military bases in Spain: Naval Station Rota and Morón Air Base.

Trump has also clashed with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over the war in Iran and Trump’s criticism of Pope Francis. The US president said in April that Meloni, once a strong Trump supporter, lacked courage and had let Washington down.

Trump has criticized NATO allies for not sending their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway, a choke point for global oil shipments, remained closed during the Iranian war, causing market turmoil and unprecedented disruptions to energy supplies.

“The president has been very clear about his frustrations with the rhetoric from our allies and the lack of support for US operations that benefit them,” a senior Pentagon official said.

German Ties

Merz said Germans and Europeans were not consulted before the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, and that he had conveyed his skepticism about the conflict directly to Trump.

Trump has long wanted to reduce the US troop presence in Germany. He advocated for a reduction of about 12,000 troops at the end of his first term, but that reduction was never adopted. Trump lost the election, and Biden reversed the plan.

Trump’s announcement on Wednesday that he was reviewing the US troop levels in Germany surprised German military officials who spoke to Reuters, citing what they called constructive meetings at the Pentagon earlier that day. They claim Germany has done more than other allies to support the US war in Iran, including allowing the use of bases and granting overflight permissions. Germany is also home to a huge military hospital in Landstuhl.

Earlier this week, the German government approved key targets for its 2027 budget, including a strong commitment to increase defense spending.

Imran Bayoumi, a former Pentagon official, said that while the reductions in Germany were not as drastic as they could have been, they still risk further dividing the United States and Europe.

“European leaders will likely push harder for increased defense spending, viewing Washington as increasingly unreliable and untrustworthy,” Bayoumi, now at the Atlantic Council, said.

As part of Trump’s withdrawal decision, a combat brigade team currently in Germany will be withdrawn from the country, and a long-range fires battalion that the Biden administration had planned to begin deploying to Germany later this year will no longer be deployed, an official said.