President Trump said Wednesday he is considering reducing the number of US troops in Germany, amid a spat with the German chancellor and the NATO ally over Iran.
“The United States is studying and reviewing possible troop reductions in Germany, with a determination to be made in the next short term,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The US military has a large presence in Germany dating back to World War II and the Cold War. More than 36,000 soldiers are operating at bases across Germany as of last December, along with nearly 1,500 soldiers and 11,500 civilians, according to Defense Ministry figures. Japan is the only foreign country with a large US military population.
Germany is also home to the headquarters of the US European Command and Africa Command, and its Ramstein Air Base is an important base for US operations.
A senior US official told CBS News on Thursday that Mr. Trump has not yet been offered the means to reduce American troops in Germany.
Senior military leaders could offer these options if requested, but none have been offered yet, the official said, adding that Germany continues to provide quiet support to US forces in the Middle East, which is being considered. So far, the only NATO member to completely reject any role in supporting ongoing US military operations in the Middle East is Spain.
The president has grown increasingly frustrated with US allies in Europe, who want to avoid direct involvement in the US-Iran war. He has threatened to leave NATO, calling the alliance a “paper tiger” and not entering the war. Act of 2023 prevents the president in withdrawing the US from NATO without approval from Congress.
Meanwhile, Europe is dealing with high energy prices as the Iran conflict severely restricts oil exports from the Middle East.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz appeared to annoy Mr.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump wrote on social media that Merz “thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon” and he “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
“No wonder Germany is doing so badly, economically and otherwise!” said the president.
A few hours before Mr. Trump reduced the troop drawdown, Merz told reporters that he still gets along with the American president, despite their widely publicized disagreement over Iran’s strategy.
Mr. Trump told reporters on Thursday that he would reconsider withdrawing US troops from Spain or Italy because of their reluctance to join the war on Iran, saying: “Why not me?”
The president’s skepticism about NATO preceded the Iran war. He has long accused member states of not spending enough on defense and of relying too much on the US for security.
In 2020, the last year of his first term, Mr. Trump announced plans to withdraw about 12,000 US troops from Germany, after accusing the European country of being “criminal” in the use of military force. The plan drew bipartisan pushback and it was postponed by former President Joe Biden.
In a small move last fall, US officials he told CBS News that about 700 soldiers deployed in Germany, Romania and Poland will return home. US Army Europe and Africa said it was part of a “deliberate process to ensure the balanced posture of the US military,” and “is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a sign of a reduced commitment to NATO.”
