US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, pictured during a congressional hearing on April 29, 2026, has ordered the withdrawal of about 5,000 US troops from Germany – Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File Kevin Dietsch
WG DUNLOP
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the withdrawal of about 5,000 troops from Germany within the next year, the Pentagon said on Friday.
The announcement came after President Donald Trump threatened earlier this week to withdraw troops from NATO ally Germany amid a dispute with its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, over the US-Israel war against Iran.
“We expect the withdrawal to be completed within the next six to twelve months,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
“This decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of the requirements and conditions of the theater in the field,” Parnell added.
Germany’s Merz has become a target of Trump’s ire after he said on Monday that Iran was “humiliating” Washington at the negotiating table.
Trump said Tuesday that Merz “thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”
On Wednesday, Trump said Washington was “studying and reviewing the potential drawdown” of US troops in Germany and that he would decide within a “short period of time”.
During his two terms in office, Trump has made a series of threats to reduce the number of US troops in Germany and other European allies, saying he wants Europe to take more responsibility for its own defense rather than depending on Washington.
– ‘Why not?’ –
But he now appears determined to punish allies who have failed to back the war against Iran or contribute to a peacekeeping force in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran’s forces have effectively sealed off.
On Thursday, Trump said he may withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain because of their opposition to the war, telling reporters in the Oval Office: “Italy has not helped us at all and Spain has been terrible, absolutely terrible.”
“Yeah, maybe, maybe I will. Why shouldn’t I?” Trump said.
As of December 31, 2025, there were 12,662 US troops on active duty in Italy and 3,814 in Spain. In Germany there were 36,436.
Speaking during a visit to Morocco, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Thursday that Germany was “prepared” for a reduction in US troops and was “discussing it closely and in a spirit of confidence in all NATO bodies”.
While he said he was “relieved” by the idea of fewer US troops in Germany, Wadephul said large US bases in Germany were “absolutely out of the question”.
He said, for example, that Ramstein Air Base had “an irreplaceable function for the United States and for us.”
The EU said on Thursday that the deployment of US troops in Europe was in Washington’s interest and that the United States was “a vital partner in contributing to Europe’s security and defence”.
Meanwhile, Trump again took aim at Merz, telling him to focus on ending the war in Ukraine instead of “interfering” in Iran.
