Trump Threatens He will Cut Troops in Germany

Trump’s threats came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said this week that the United States had been “humiliated” by Tehran in talks to end the US-Israeli war against Iran.

The mercurial US leader has been mulling reducing America’s military presence in Germany for years, railing against NATO for refusing to help the US in its two-month war.

Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday that the United States was reviewing possible troop reductions in Germany and that a “decision” would be made soon. He was still thinking about Merz on Thursday, noting that the German leader should “end the war with Russia/Ukraine” and “spend more time fixing his broken country” rather than dealing with Iran.

US military presence in Europe US allies in NATO are preparing for the withdrawal of US troops immediately after the Trump administration takes office; Washington warns that Europe will have to pay attention to both its own security and the security of Ukraine in the future.

Approximately 80,000-100,000 U.S. personnel are typically deployed in Europe, depending on operations, exercises, and troop rotations. NATO allies have expected for more than a year that US troops deployed after Russia launched a war in Ukraine in 2022 would be the first to leave.

Germany is home to several US military installations, including the headquarters of the European and African commands, Ramstein Air Base and a medical center at Landstuhl, where casualties of US wars in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq are treated. There are also US nuclear missiles in the country.

Ed Arnold, an expert on European security at the Royal United Services Institute in London, said the United States gets a lot out of its presence in Germany, such as logistics and support for Middle East combat operations, and is unlikely to withdraw.

Nico Lange of the Center for European Policy Analysis agreed, saying there are about 36,000 U.S. troops in Germany who primarily serve U.S. interests, including “projecting American power globally” rather than helping defend Germany.

Lange said the U.S. has invested “significant funds” in high-quality infrastructure in Germany that cannot be moved overnight, and that a different deployment would cost the U.S. a large amount of money, which would require Trump to get approval from Congress.

As early as 2020, Trump announced plans to withdraw 11,900 US troops from Germany, but this did not materialize, in part because Congress did not provide the necessary funds and the withdrawal would require huge investments elsewhere.

That’s why Trump’s post was likely a “hoax,” Arnold said.

“There’s a difference between the military view and the political view,” Arnold said. “The problem with some of these threats is that they are not as annoying as they were a few years ago.”

Merz, who visited soldiers at a military training ground in the northern German city of Munster on Thursday, did not directly address Trump’s comments but implied they were working “shoulder by shoulder for mutual benefit and in deep trans-Atlantic solidarity” and said his government was “making great efforts to strengthen Germany’s security.”

RUSI’s Arnold said Europe is more concerned about issues such as the US redeployment of Patriot missile systems and munitions from Germany to the Middle East and notifications to NATO countries such as Estonia and Belgium that American arms orders will be delayed as the US government is given priority.

A senior Western official told The Associated Press they were not aware of any discussions between the United States and Germany or other allies about the possibility of troop reductions in Germany.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues, noted that Europe and Germany, which recently announced their new military strategy, are taking more responsibility for the security of the continent.

Last October, the United States confirmed that NATO would reduce its troop presence on the Ukrainian border. The move to cut 1,500-3,000 troops came quickly and unsettled ally Romania, where the military organization operates an air base.

While Russia watches, the Iran war has an impact. The US administration notified allies early last year that it was reviewing its military “posture” in Europe and elsewhere. The findings of that review were supposed to be made public in late 2025 but have not yet been revealed.

But the United States has pledged to inform its allies in advance of any changes to ensure there are no security gaps at a time when Russia is increasingly engaged in conflict.

The US-Israeli war on Iran has only raised the prospect of a withdrawal, and there have been hectic meetings between administration officials, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European leaders since the conflict began on February 28.

Over the past year, European allies and Canada have realized that they must provide the conventional defense of Europe themselves. The main US contribution going forward in terms of NATO deterrence will be the presence of American nuclear weapons and some troops.

Trump’s obsession with Greenland Beyond uncertainty about US personnel, allies have become accustomed to Trump’s outbursts; In recent weeks they have been slurred as “cowards” or heard branded as “paper tigers” by NATO’s most powerful allies.

Repeated threats on issues like complete separation or defense spending have accustomed them to social media posts in which Trump might consider one action or another.

The real damage to NATO unity has come from Trump’s obsession with Greenland and his intention to annex the island, which is a semi-autonomous part of ally Denmark, including sending family members and administration officials there.