A small town in Germany braces for end to decades of life with US troops

By Lisi Niesner

VILSECK, Germany, May 6 (Reuters) – The pretty Bavarian town of Vilseck has been home to U.S. forces since the end of World War II and may bear the brunt of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw at least 5,000 troops from Germany.

Although details of the units affected by the order have not been confirmed, the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, the only permanent brigade combat team in Germany based at Rose Barracks in Vilseck, is expected to go.

“The consequences could be dramatic,” said the town’s new mayor, Thorsten ‌Graedler, who took office this week and faces the possibility of thousands of job losses in a rural area where the base is one of the largest employers for miles.

Over the years, he said, the presence of the base, with thousands of well-paying jobs for locals and a steady stream of customers for local businesses, has created a state of dependency whose risks are now being felt.

“Our entire town of Vilseck depends largely on the military training ground for its livelihood – bars, restaurants, garages, supermarkets,” he said.

USA WANTS EUROPE TO SPEND MORE ON DEFENSE

The decision to withdraw troops comes amid growing pressure from Washington on European countries to increase defense spending and accusations that reliance on US forces has led them to neglect their own militaries.

During Trump’s first term, there was already talk of withdrawing the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, a brigade-sized combat formation built around Stryker wheeled armored vehicles, but plans were reversed under former President Joe Biden.

“It’s important to say that it hasn’t yet been officially confirmed that the Strykers will actually be withdrawn. So I haven’t given up hope yet,” Graedler said.

The Berlin government, which has sharply increased spending on rebuilding the German army after years of underinvestment, said the announcement of the troop withdrawal was little surprise.

But beyond the economic impacts, the cultural shock of the news will be profound for a town whose 6,500 residents outnumber U.S. personnel and their families.

Although their numbers have dwindled since the height of the Cold War (when some 250,000 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of civilian personnel were deployed to fight against the Soviet Union), their presence was an enduring reality for generations of West Germans.

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, 60% of US overseas bases were in Germany; along with hundreds of other facilities, most of them in southwestern towns like Vilseck. Many were ‘little America’, with their own on-base residences, shops and facilities, but their presence left a deep mark on local communities.

“I never knew Vilseck in any other way than living side by side with Americans,” Graedler said.

MANY US SOLDIERS ARE ENJOYING LIFE IN GERMANY

There are currently only around 35,000 American troops left in Germany, the largest US contingent in Europe. But even today, soldiers and their families leave a visible mark on Vilseck and nearby areas, dining at steakhouses, shopping at local supermarkets, and joining local sports and car clubs.

“I’ve been here since 2022, so about four years. There’s nothing not to like about Germany,” said Robert Moore, a 31-year-old cook sergeant who lives about 20 kilometers north of Vilseck. He said people were friendly and respectful and it was “very, very safe.”

Many in Vilseck said there would be a sense of emotional loss if the Americans left.

“When the Strykers arrived we were worried they would be a bunch of bullies, but they’re actually really nice people,” said Albin Merkl, a 66-year-old retiree who rents apartments to U.S. personnel.

“We’ve always done good business with the Americans,” he said, adding that trains to nearby Nuremberg were filled in the evenings with young soldiers heading for off-duty fun.

Judith Georgiadis, a 63-year-old Vilseck resident who worked for the base administration for 17 years, said life became quieter after U.S. forces withdrew after the Cold War.

“Life here in the eighties was great. There was a vibrant nightlife with bars and pubs,” he said. Many people were worried due to the recent news. “People who work for Americans are afraid. There’s a lot of anxiety.”

“The city government should have taken action a long time ago to eliminate our dependence on Americans. When you’re young, you either work for Americans or you leave,” he said.

Local businesses that provide services to the base are also exposed.

“Most of us here — I mean business people — have built our businesses 100 percent around American customers,” said Robert Grassick, 64, whose company, Vilseck Military Auto Sales, sells cars to soldiers and their families.

But for some older residents, concern that the U.S. presence will eventually end is nothing new.

“Having grown up here, I can tell you it’s always a topic of conversation: ‘They’re breaking up and closing down,'” said Brenda Hutchinson, 61, whose parents are among the many mixed couples created by decades of close contact.

“This was already a topic of conversation when my father was in the military,” he said.

(Written by James Mackenzie, Edited by Alexandra Hudson)