The United States is weighing a potential troop reduction in Germany, with a final decision expected soon, President Donald Trump said.
The United States is weighing a potential troop reduction in Germany, with a final decision expected soon, President Donald Trump said late Wednesday.
His comments come after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said this week that the United States was being “humiliated” by Iran during the course of the prolonged war in the Middle East.
“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump said on his Truth Social media platform. In an earlier post, Trump blasted Merz for a lack of support for the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, saying the German leader “thinks it’s OK” for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
Before the Iran war, Merz and Trump were considered to have warm relations, in part because of Germany’s efforts to bolster its own defense.
After Merz’s criticism of Trump this week, the German leader sought to bring down the temperature, saying on Wednesday that “the personal relationship between the American president and me is, from my perspective, still good.”
Even so, Trump’s insistence that European allies haven’t been supportive enough of the Iran war could have longer-term implications for how the United States deals with NATO members.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who reposted Trump’s social media comment about possible troop cuts in Germany, told Congress on Wednesday that he expected allies to get on board with U.S. war efforts.
When allies “do not step up, there will be consequences,” Hegseth said during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee.
“In recent weeks, for instance, far too many of our NATO allies showed that they could not be relied upon to support our nation’s operations against Iran. … This is unconscionable, and we will remember,” Hegseth added.
Some European countries have complained that the Trump administration didn’t consult them ahead of the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. At the same time, multiple NATO countries have enabled U.S. operations against Iran via bases positioned around Europe.
If Trump decides to follow through on troop cuts in Germany, he has many options. The U.S. has roughly 34,000 troops spread out at various bases and installations across the country.
Toward the end of his first term, he planned to pull 12,000 U.S. service members from Germany. Among the planned moves was sending the Vilseck-based 2nd Cavalry Regiment to the United States.
Former President Joe Biden canceled the plan, which also called for transfer of U.S. European Command from Stuttgart to Belgium, among other moves.
The proposals were seen as a way to punish Germany, which Trump had criticized for failing to meet NATO defense spending benchmarks.
Since then, the situation has changed dramatically. Germany is now the top military spender in Europe and is on track to meet NATO’s new target for member countries to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defense.
Last week, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby lauded Germany for the turnaround.
Still, Trump’s comments on possible troop cuts come as the Pentagon pushes European allies to take on more of the Continent’s defense, with reductions widely expected in some form.
Any drawdown in the overall European force posture would likely target units and capabilities that don’t negatively affect the Pentagon’s ability to project power beyond Europe, observers have said.
For example, facilities such as Ramstein Air Base in Germany play a key role in extending the reach of the U.S. military worldwide.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a retired brigadier general who once served as a wing commander at Ramstein, took issue with Trump’s statement about possible cuts to the military’s mission in Germany.
“The continued attacks on NATO allies are counterproductive,” Bacon said in a statement on X Wednesday. “The two big airfields in Germany give us great access in three continents. We are shooting ourselves in our own feet.”
Besides Ramstein, the U.S. air base in Spangdahlem is also a major air hub for military operations.
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