The United States for generations already has stationed tens of thousands of its military service members in Germany for a list of reasons.
America’s European and Africa commands are there, there’s a medical center there and there is a command structure for U.S. nuclear missiles there, too.
The American military population now totals about 36,000, creating huge benefits to Germany’s economy.
But now 5,000 are leaving.
The U.S. will pull that many service members from Germany over the next six to 12 months, according to an announcement from the Pentagon.
It follows a comment from President Donald Trump that Germany could lose some of the benefits of having so many American troops there after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz insulted America by saying it was being “humiliated” by Iranians. He also criticized Trump’s strategy in the Operation Epic Fury campaign launched to make sure Iran never has the wherewithal to threaten neighbors, or the world, with nuclear annihilation.
According to a report at the Los Angeles Times, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the exit for the troops, a decision that “follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground.”
BREAKING: The Pentagon plans to withdraw about 5,000 American forces from Germany, senior defense officials say. https://t.co/3omfW4hTnc
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 1, 2026
NEW: The Pentagon orders a withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, a spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The move comes as President Trump’s feud with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other NATO allies escalates over tensions tied to the Iran conflict.
A Pentagon… pic.twitter.com/mlWjgN00TJ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 2, 2026
Democrats immediately objected, as they have with literally everything Trump has done during his second term in office.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the decision was “reckless.”
Bradley Bowman, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, charged that the presence of American soldiers in German “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.”
Even with the move, there probably will remain more than 30,000 U.S. troops there. Across European nations, the U.S. normally funds some 80,000 troops or more.
Trump had commented on social media just days ago about cutting troop numbers in Germany, and he later suggested similar actions might follow for other NATO member nations.
Trump has speculated many times before about changing up the U.S. military support on the ground there, and the complaints have been amplified in recent weeks as those allies have declined to assist with the effort to neutralize Tehran’s nuclear threats.
