US plans to sharply reduce troop numbers in Germany

President Donald Trump has intensified a brewing dispute with key European allies, declaring the planned withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany is only the start as tensions widen over the Middle East war.

The Pentagon unveiled the 5,000-troop drawdown on Friday, but Mr Trump signalled on Saturday that the cut would go deeper. “We’re going to cut way down, and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” he told reporters, without offering further details.

The latest move comes after a public clash between Mr Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Iran was “humiliating” the US at the negotiating table.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the withdrawal was expected “to be completed over the next six to twelve months.”

US troops and military hardware are seen at an American army base in Germany

“This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defence and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security,” NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart wrote on X.

Germany hosted 36,436 active-duty US troops as of 31 December 2025, far more than other NATO allies in southern Europe, with 12,662 in Italy and 3,814 in Spain.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said a US troop reduction “from Europe and also from Germany was to be expected.”

The announcement also landed as Mr Trump said tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union would rise from 15% to 25% next week, accusing the bloc of failing to honour a trade deal reached last summer.

Republican concern

The decision to scale back the US military presence in Germany has drawn scepticism from senior Republicans responsible for oversight of American defence policy.

US President Donald Trump said tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union would rise from 15% to 25% next week

In a joint statement, Senator Roger Wicker and Representative Mike Rogers, who chair the Armed Services Committees in the Senate and House, said the decision risked “sending the wrong signal to Vladimir Putin.”

They said that while European allies are increasing defence spending, “translating that investment into the military capability needed to assume primary responsibility for conventional deterrence will take time.”

The two lawmakers also pointed out that Germany had responded to Mr Trump’s demands for higher defence spending and had permitted US aircraft to use German bases and airspace during the continuing conflict with Iran.

‘Why shouldn’t I?’

Across both of his White House terms, Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened to reduce US troop deployments in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, arguing that European governments should shoulder more of the burden for their own security instead of relying so heavily on Washington.

He now appears ready to penalise allies that have not supported the Middle East war or joined a peacekeeping force in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, which Iran’s forces have effectively closed.

A US Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III cargo plane departs Ramstein Air Base in Germany

Mr Trump said on Thursday that Italy and Spain could also face US troop withdrawals because of their opposition to the Iran war.

“Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible,” he told reporters.

“Yeah, probably, I probably will. Why shouldn’t I?” he added.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Berlin was “prepared” for a reduction in US troops and had “discussed it closely and in a spirit of trust in all NATO bodies.”

Still, Mr Wadephul said major American military facilities in Germany were “not up for discussion at all,” pointing to Ramstein Air Base as having “an irreplaceable function for the United States and for us alike.”