The Pentagon said Friday that roughly 5,000 U.S. service members will leave Germany over the next six to 12 months, carrying out a reduction President Donald Trump had threatened amid a dispute with Germany’s leader over the U.S. war with Iran. The move follows a Department of Defense review of U.S. force posture in Europe, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, and reflects theater requirements and conditions on the ground.
Germany hosts key U.S. facilities, including the headquarters for U.S. European and Africa Commands, Ramstein Air Base and the Landstuhl medical center that treated casualties from past conflicts. U.S. nuclear weapons are also stored there. The announced drawdown represents about 14 percent of the roughly 36,000 American troops currently stationed in Germany.
Democrats in Congress and defense analysts quickly criticized the plan, saying it could bolster Russian President Vladimir Putin and weaken U.S. security and alliances. Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned the reduction suggests American commitments may hinge on the president’s mood and urged Trump to reverse course to avoid lasting damage to alliances and national security.
Critics including Bradley Bowman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies argued the U.S. presence in Germany and elsewhere in Europe is central to deterring further Kremlin aggression and to projecting U.S. power into the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa.
President Trump declined to answer questions about the decision as he left a rally in Ocala, Florida. He has long advocated shrinking the U.S. footprint in Germany and has criticized NATO allies for not doing more to support Washington in the war that began Feb. 28 with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. This week he said a review of possible troop reductions in Germany was underway and suggested German Chancellor Friedrich Merz should focus on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine and on domestic matters.
Trump previously proposed a large drawdown during his first term, seeking to remove about 9,500 of roughly 34,500 troops in Germany, but that plan did not proceed and President Joe Biden reversed the cuts after taking office in 2021.
Allies have expected some U.S. units deployed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 to be among the first considered for redeployment. Depending on operations and rotations, between about 80,000 and 100,000 U.S. personnel are typically posted in Europe. Partners have voiced particular concern about moving weapons systems and munitions — for example, Patriot batteries shifted from Germany to the Middle East — and were alarmed last October when the U.S. reduced forces on NATO’s borders with Ukraine by 1,500 to 3,000 on short notice, affecting bases in Romania.