U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Saturday his intention to reduce the number of American troops stationed in Germany by more than 5,000.
Trump Announces Larger Troop Reduction in Germany
President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he intends to reduce the number of American soldiers in Germany by more than the previously announced 5,000.
The President did not elaborate on his statement.
Details of the Reduction
“We’re going to be cutting substantially (the number of troops). And it’s going to be a lot more than 5,000,” Trump said during a brief conversation with reporters on the tarmac at Palm Beach, Florida, before departing for Miami. This was his response to a question regarding his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Germany.
The President did not expand on his statement.
Pentagon’s Previous Announcement and Context
The Pentagon announced on Friday that 5,000 troops would be withdrawn from Germany within the next 6-12 months. While the department stated this was the result of internal analyses, the decision followed Trump’s angry reaction to criticism of the war with Iran from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Currently, approximately 36,000 U.S. soldiers are stationed in Germany. Trump has previously indicated he would likely withdraw American troops from bases in Italy and Spain for similar reasons.
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