The US is attempting to pull almost 12,000 troops out of Germany in a move the Pentagon insisted on being a long-term strategy; but Donald Trump said it would be to punish Berlin for low defense spending.
Out of 11,900 personnel leaving Germany on the proposal; 6,400 will be returning to the US from where they could be used for rotational deployments in Eastern Europe and around the world; while 5,600 will be repositioned in other NATO countries, particularly Belgium and Italy.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the move would begin in a matter of weeks; but also stressed that the redeployment strategy was in its early phases and would cost several billion dollars.
He consistently denied that the action was driven by Trump’s frequently expressed desire to move troops out of Germany to teach Berlin the lesson of not spending enough on defense. The Pentagon issued a statement that the withdrawal would “strengthen NATO, increase the dissuasion of Russia” and increase the flexibility of the US military.
Moments later, the President told reporters at the White House that he had requested the withdrawal of the troops because Berlin was “delinquent” by not spending enough on defense.
“[US troops] are there to protect Germany, aren’t they? And Germany is supposed to pay for it, “said Trump. “Germany doesn’t pay for it. We no longer want to be the suckers. The United States has benefited from this for 25 years, both in trade and in the military. So we’re limiting the force since they’re not paying their bills.
Trump wrongly claimed, as he has done numerous times previously, that Germany did not pay its “Nato” fees. Indeed, the friction between the US and Germany, as well as other European allies, is about national defense spending. In 2014, the Allies agreed to spend 2% of their GDP on defense by 2024. Germany is currently on 1.5%, but Belgium, where the US will move some of its European Command (Eucom) headquarters, spends less than 1%; and Italy, to where the US will move an F-16 fighter squadron and two army battalions from Germany, spends 1.2%.
The diplomats and former US officials presented Trump as fixated on Germany and its Chancellor, Angela Merkel.
“He is obsessed with the idea that Germany is taking advantage of the US, of the defense, but of trade, selling too many cars to the US, for example. He’s always been particularly rude to Merkel, “said a former White House official.
