U.S. to withdraw almost 12,000 troops from Germany

U.S. to withdraw almost 12,000 troops from Germany

Via NBC News:

The Trump administration announced Wednesday plans to withdraw almost 12,000 troops from Germany, a sweeping continent-wide reorganization that has provoked bipartisan congressional opposition and widespread dismay in Europe.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper told a Pentagon briefing that the move would benefit Washington’s strategic interests abroad, strengthening NATO and deterring Russia, and equipping the military for “a new era of great power competition.”

But President Donald Trump has previously offered a different explanation, suggesting the planned drawdown is punishment for his long-standing complaint that Germany does not spend enough on its military.

It has alarmed congressional Republicans and Democrats, and is seen by many in Europe as emblematic of the dramatic deterioration in relations between Washington and Berlin under Trump.

Esper said the number of U.S. troops permanently based in Germany would be reduced by around 11,900, from some 36,000 to 24,000. That’s even more than the 9,500 announced last month. Some 6,400 would return to the United States and 5,600 would be repositioned within NATO, he said.

In addition, several U.S. military headquarters and battalions would be moved out of the country, including United States European Command which will move to Belgium, he said.

The move will cost single-figure billions of dollars, and will begin “as expeditiously as possible” with some elements starting “within weeks.”

Most of the U.S. troops in Germany are currently stationed at the Ramstein Air Base, the largest American military facility outside the continental U.S.

…

But the troop withdrawal has caused alarm including among congressional Republicans and Democrats. They argue the troops are not there to protect Germany, but to provide an American launching pad to the Middle East, if needed, and a symbolic bulwark against Russia.

It has also angered the German government because according to it, as with several other Trump moves regarding Europe, it was not consulted beforehand.

“This is completely unacceptable, especially since nobody in Washington thought about informing its NATO ally Germany in advance,” said Peter Beyer, a German lawmaker who serves as the transatlantic coordinator for Chancellor Angela Merkel. He was speaking to the Rheinische Post newspaper in June.

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