"Significantly more than 5000." Trump Says Significantly More American Soldiers Will Leave Germany Than Expected
The US will reduce the number of its troops in Germany amid Trump's resentment towards Merz.
Photo: Getty Images
US President Donald Trump plans to withdraw significantly more soldiers from Germany than previously announced, writes Bild.
"We will significantly reduce the number of troops, by much more than 5000," he told reporters at Palm Beach airport in Florida.
On Friday, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth announced the withdrawal of approximately 5000 soldiers.
On Thursday, Trump criticized Merz for his comments that the US had been "humiliated" by Iranian negotiators, and stated that Merz "does a terrible job at his work."
Currently, about 39,000 American soldiers are stationed in Germany, with a total of about 86,000 in Europe, but these numbers regularly change due to rotations and exercises. Despite possible reductions, Germany remains a central location for the deployment of US armed forces. Facilities such as the US European Command in Stuttgart and Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate are important hubs for operations, for example, in the Middle East.
NATO representative Allison Hart stated on X that the military alliance is working with the US "to better understand the details of their decision regarding troop contingent in Germany." At the same time, such an "adjustment" indicates "that Europe must continue to invest more in defense and take on a greater share of responsibility for our collective security." A similar opinion was expressed by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
The withdrawal of troops should be "completed within the next six to twelve months," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said earlier. In addition to Germany, Trump also threatened Spain and Italy with withdrawing soldiers stationed there:
"Italy did not help us at all, and Spain acted terribly," he added, speaking about the allies' support in the Iranian conflict.