The move followed comments by Iran’s prime minister that the country had “humiliated” the United States over the course of the Middle East war. Germany is a major logistics hub for U.S. military movements.
60 days since President Trump announced war with Iran, a critical deadline
Under the War Powers Resolution, President Trump must seek authorization from Congress to continue military operations in the war against Iran.
Pentagon officials have decided to withdraw 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, a major logistics hub for U.S. military movements around the world, including the Middle East.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the move was in response to “theater requirements and conditions on the ground.”
But the announcement of the cuts comes amid deepening rifts between the White House and its European allies, particularly Germany. The country’s Prime Minister Friedrich Merz said earlier this week that Iran had “humiliated” the United States during the war. In response to this comment, President Donald Trump said in a statement on April 29 that the United States was considering “reducing the number of troops stationed in Germany.”
“The Secretary of the Army has ordered the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 troops from Germany,” Parnell said, referring to Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth. “This decision is the result of a thorough review of the Department of Defense’s force posture in Europe and recognizes theater requirements and conditions on the ground.”
Parnell said the withdrawal would take place over six to 12 months.
Germany has served as a hub for U.S. military movements around the world for decades, and U.S. troops have been stationed there since the Allied victory over the Nazis in World War II.
The country currently has more U.S. troops stationed there than any other country in Europe, with about 35,000 soldiers deployed. Japan is the only country where approximately 50,000 U.S. troops are stationed. Italy has the next highest number of deployed units in the region, with approximately 12,000 units.
Withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany would only marginally reduce the total number of troops in Germany, but it signals the increasingly fraught relationship between Washington and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies.
Throughout the Iran war, President Trump has criticized NATO allies for not coming to America’s aid. At one point he called them “cowards.”
On March 20, before the ceasefire, President Trump said in a statement, “Without the United States, NATO is a paper tiger!” “They didn’t want to take part in the fight to stop nuclear Iran. Now that fight has been won militarily, there is little danger for them, and they complain about the high oil prices they are being paid, but they don’t want to cooperate with the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military exercise that is the only reason for the high oil prices. There is little risk and it is very easy for them. Cowards, and we will not forget!”
The mutual defense guarantee in the NATO agreement covers attacks against member states and does not apply when a member state attacks another state. The Article 5 guarantee was invoked and enforced after 9/11.
A small number of NATO members disavow the US war against Iran and are actively working to remain non-member. Early in the war, Spain refused to allow U.S. forces to use the base for war-related missions.
The country’s prime minister is one of the leading critics of the war that began on February 28th between President Trump and his ally Israel.
“In short, this is an utter disaster,” Spain’s Socialist Workers Party leader Pedro Sánchez said in a speech to parliament in Madrid. “And to remain silent in the face of an unjust and illegal war is not prudence or loyalty, but cowardice and complicity.”
Contributed by USA TODAY White House Correspondent Joey Garrison
