Germany says US troop withdrawal ‘foreseeable’ as NATO seeks…

Germany’s defense minister said the US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from his country was “predictable”, as the NATO military alliance says it is seeking clarification from Washington.

Boris Pistorius stressed to the DPA agency that “the presence of American soldiers in Europe, and in particular in Germany, is in our interest and in the interest of the United States”.

Meanwhile, NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said the alliance was “working with the United States to understand the details of their decision.”

Washington’s move comes after President Donald Trump criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for saying the United States was “humiliated” by Iranian negotiators in the ongoing war.

The US military deployment in Germany – currently made up of more than 36,000 active duty soldiers – is by far the largest in Europe, compared to around 12,000 in Italy and 10,000 in the UK.

Trump has also suggested withdrawing American troops from Italy and Spain.

Last year, Washington decided to reduce its troop presence in Romania, as part of Trump’s plan to shift the focus of US military engagement from Europe to the Indo-Pacific region.

Concerns are now growing within NATO’s 32 members that the latest US decision could weaken the organisation.

“The greatest threat to the transatlantic community is not its external enemies, but the continued disintegration of our alliance,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on Saturday.

“We must all do what is necessary to reverse this disastrous trend,” he added.

And two senior US lawmakers from Trump’s Republican Party said they were “very concerned about the decision to withdraw an American brigade from Germany.”

“Rather than withdrawing forces from the continent altogether, it is in the United States’ interest to maintain a strong deterrent in Europe,” said Senator Roger Wicker and Representative Mike Rogers, who chair the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, respectively.

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In Saturday’s interview with DPA, Pistorius also said that Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security and that Berlin will now work more closely with the continent’s allies.

“Germany is on the right track,” he said, noting that his country has significantly increased military spending in recent years.

Trump had previously accused Germany of being “delinquent” because its military spending was well below NATO’s target of 2% of economic output (GDP).

But the situation has changed dramatically under the Merz government, with Germany now planning to spend €105.8 billion (£91 billion) on defense in 2027.

Overall, Germany’s defense spending is expected to reach 3.1% of GDP, taking into account other defense funds, including Berlin’s continued aid to Ukraine as it continues to fight against invading Russian troops.

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In her X post on Saturday, NATO’s Allison Hart said the US decision to withdraw troops from Germany “underlines the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defense and take a greater share of responsibility for our shared security.

“We are already seeing progress since allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP at the NATO summit in The Hague last year.”

The latest spat between Trump and Merz was sparked by comments from the German chancellor on Monday.

Merz told university students that “the Americans clearly have no strategy.”

“The Iranians are obviously very good at negotiating, or rather, very good at not negotiating, letting the Americans go to Islamabad and then leave again to no avail,” he said.

He added that “the entire nation” has been “humiliated” by Iran.

In response, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, saying Merz thinks it’s “ok for Iran to have a nuclear weapon” and “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

This was soon followed by the announcement of the withdrawal of American troops.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the order came from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“We expect the withdrawal to be completed in the next six to 12 months,” the spokesperson added.

Trump, a long-time critic of the NATO alliance, lashed out at allies for their refusal to participate in operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route.

Iran has severely restricted traffic through the waterway, in response to US and Israeli attacks that began on February 28.

The United States also imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in the Gulf. [BBC]

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