Pentagon withdraws 5,000 troops from Germany amid Trump-Merz feud
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The Pentagon will withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany, a spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The redeployment comes amid President Donald Trump’s escalating row with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other NATO allies following tensions over their response to the conflict involving Iran.
“The Secretary of War has ordered the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 troops from Germany,” Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell told Fox News Digital.
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“This decision follows a comprehensive review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is an acknowledgment of the requirements and conditions on the ground.
“We expect the withdrawal to be completed within the next six to twelve months.”
There are approximately 38,000 US troops in Germany, where US European Command is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base. (Getty Images)
There are approximately 38,000 US troops in Germany, where US European Command is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base. The base and other American facilities have long served as important logistics hubs and command centers supporting U.S. military operations in Europe and the Middle East.
The presence of US soldiers in Germany has been the subject of political debate in recent years. Trump ordered the withdrawal of nearly 12,000 troops from the country in 2020, but the plan faced bipartisan resistance in Congress and was not completed until President Joe Biden took office.
Speaking at Marsberg on Monday, Merz criticized the US approach to Iran, saying Washington was “humiliated by the Iranian leadership” and expressing hope that the conflict would end “as quickly as possible”.
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President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2026, to discuss issues including U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Trump’s comments followed those remarks, which marked the latest flashpoint between two leaders who have previously clashed over issues including tariffs and defense spending.
On Wednesday, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that his administration was “studying and reviewing possible reductions in the number of troops in Germany,” adding that a decision would be made “sometime soon.”
He also harshly criticized Merz, saying he “doesn’t know what he’s talking about” regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz thinks it is okay for Iran to have Nuclear Weapons,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.
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President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran war in Cross Hall of the White House in Washington on April 1, 2026. (Alex Brandon/AP)
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about! If Iran had nuclear weapons, the whole world would be held hostage.
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“I am now doing with Iran something that other nations or presidents should have done a long time ago. No wonder Germany is in such bad shape, both economically and otherwise!”
Fox News Digital’s Alex Koch and Peter Doocy contributed to this report.
