Republicans ‘concerned’ after Trump threatens to withdraw more US troops from Germany | Trump administration
Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw more US troops from Germany after stunning European leaders and some senior members of his own party last week by announcing a withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany.
This move left 30,000 US soldiers in the country. According to CNN. But Trump threatened on Saturday that more cuts were coming. “We’re going to cut it a lot, and we’re going to cut it a lot more than 5,000,” he told reporters on Saturday.
Trump’s first move to reduce US personnel in Germany came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US was “humiliated” by Iran.
The Pentagon later announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany on Friday. The decision came “following a comprehensive review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and in recognition of the requirements and conditions on the ground.” a spokesman said.
“The Iranians are clearly very skilled at negotiating, or rather very skilled at not negotiating, allowing the Americans to go to Islamabad and then go back without getting any results,” Merz said, speaking to students at Marsberg last month.
“An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. So I hope this ends as soon as possible.”
The Republicans who chair the congressional armed services committees are Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker and Alabama Representative Mike Rogers. They issued a joint statement on Saturday He said they were “very concerned” about the possibility of reducing troops in Germany.
“Germany took action in response to President Trump’s call for greater burden sharing, significantly increasing defense spending and providing uninterrupted access, basing and overflight for US forces. Operation Epic Rage,In their statement, using the military name for the operation against Iran, they stated that any reduction in troops should be made in coordination with Congress and allies.
“It is in the interest of the United States to maintain a strong deterrent in Europe by moving these 5,000 U.S. forces eastward, rather than withdrawing forces from the continent entirely,” they added. “Allies there have made significant investments in hosting US troops, reducing costs for US taxpayers while strengthening NATO’s front line, helping to deter a much more costly conflict in the first place.”
Merz’s comments highlighted tensions between the United States and NATO, as well as European allies, over the war in Iran and other foreign conflicts. A Pentagon Email leaked to Reuters He moved to punish Spain, which had been a vocal critic of the war, and to alienate it from the NATO alliance.
