Pentagon to pull 5,000 troops from Germany within 12 months

The Pentagon on Friday announced it will withdraw approximately 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany over the next six to 12 months, fulfilling President Trump's threat to cut forces after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly criticized American strategy in the Iran war.

The drawdown would eliminate roughly 14 percent of the 36,000 U.S. service members based in Germany, raising urgent questions about the reliability of American security commitments to NATO at a moment of active conflict with Iran and continued Russian pressure on Ukraine's borders.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the "decision follows a thorough review of the Department's force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground," according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The 5,000 troops slated for withdrawal represent about 14 percent of the roughly 36,000 U.S. service members currently stationed in Germany. Facilities that could be affected include Ramstein Air Base, the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and the headquarters of both U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command. U.S. nuclear weapons are also deployed on German soil.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius acknowledged the mutual value of the alliance while signaling Berlin's readiness to bear more of the security burden. "The presence of American soldiers in Europe, and especially in Germany, is in our interest and in the interest of the U.S.," Pistorius told the German news agency dpa, adding that "we Europeans must take on more responsibility for our security."

The announcement drew immediate criticism on Capitol Hill. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the move "suggests American commitments to our allies are dependent on the president's mood" and called on Trump to "immediately cease this reckless action before he causes irreversible consequences for our alliances and long-term national security."

Defense analysts warned of far-reaching strategic consequences. Bradley Bowman, a scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Germany's military infrastructure "not only strengthens deterrence against additional Kremlin aggression but also facilitates the projection of American military power into the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Africa."

Trump made a comparable threat in his first term, announcing plans to pull 9,500 troops from Germany — a reduction that was ultimately never carried out. Separately, between 1,500 and 3,000 U.S. troops had already been reduced from NATO positions along Ukraine's border in October 2025.

The Pentagon has not specified which units or bases will be affected by the reduction, and no individual movement orders have been issued. Germany hosts between 80,000 and 100,000 U.S. personnel across Europe when accounting for rotational forces, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.