The US on Friday decided to pull out 5,000 troops from Germany as the relations between Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Donald Trump continue to grow. The decision was confirmed by the Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell, attributing the statement to the Secretary of War. According to reports, Pentagon officials are angry with recent comments by the German leadership, with one Pentagon official telling Reuters that “the president is rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks.” According to a NY Post report, the withdrawal of US troops from Germany is likely to be completed next year. There are 5,000 active-duty US personnel in Germany. The US’s largest base in Europe is in Germany, known as Ramstein Air Base.
“The Secretary of War has ordered the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 troops from Germany,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
This is not the first time Trump has ordered the removal of troops from Germany. In 2020, he signed a similar order to remove 12,000 troops from the country. However, the decision was resisted by the US lawmakers and later undone by President Joe Biden.
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The Pentagon spokesperson added that the decision was taken after a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and the requirements and conditions on the ground.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump floated the idea of reducing troops in Germany.
“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump shared on his Truth Social.
The US decision came after Merz publicly ridiculed Trump, saying that the US had been “humiliated by the Iranian leadership.” He said that the US has no clear Iran strategy and Iran has emerged stronger than expected.
“The Iranians are clearly stronger than expected, and the Americans clearly have no truly convincing strategy in the negotiations either,” Merz said.
Germany Calls For Stronger European Defence
Germany has reacted to the US decision, urging for a strong European defence.
The US decision to pull out troops should spur Europeans to strengthen their own defences, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday, after Washington’s latest salvo against transatlantic ties.
Pistorius said the partial withdrawal would affect a current U.S. presence of almost 40,000 soldiers stationed in Germany.
According to the U.S. Defense Manpower Data Center, 36,436 active service members were stationed in Germany as of December last year.
“We Europeans must take on more responsibility for our own security,” Pistorius said, adding, “Germany is on the right track” by expanding its armed forces, speeding up military procurement, and building infrastructure.
The Pentagon said the withdrawal was expected to be completed over the next six to 12 months. It did not say which bases would be affected, nor whether the troops would return to the U.S. or be redeployed within Europe or elsewhere.
Will Trump Pull Out Troops From Spain?
Trump on Thursday said “probably” when asked whether he would consider pulling US troops out of Italy and Spain.
Trump has harshly criticized NATO allies for not sending their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz, which was closed to global shipping following the start of a US-Israeli air war against Iran on February 28. He has also said that he is considering withdrawing the United States from the alliance.
An internal Pentagon email, reported by Reuters last week, outlined options for the United States to punish NATO allies it believes failed to support US operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain from the alliance.
Asked on Thursday if he would also consider pulling US troops out of Italy and Spain, two countries that have also been critical of the Iran war, Trump said, “Probably … Look, why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”
The US had just over 68,000 active-duty military personnel assigned permanently in its overseas bases in Europe as of December 2025, data from the US Defense Manpower Data Center shows. More than half – about 36,400 – are based in Germany.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
