May 2, 2026, 8:20 p.mMay 2, 2026, 8:20 p.m
US Senator Roger Wicker is skeptical about Trump’s plans for Germany.Image: keystone
Influential Republicans from both chambers of Congress have reacted with skepticism to the planned partial withdrawal of US troops from Germany. “We are very concerned about the decision to withdraw a US brigade from Germany,” said Senator Roger Wicker and Representative Mike Rogers in a joint statement. Rogers chairs the Armed Services Committee in the House of Representatives, Wicker chairs the Senate Committee.
Germany responded to President Donald Trump’s demands and significantly increased its defense spending. In addition, Germany was very cooperative in the Iran war, for example with regard to overflight rights, the statement continued.
Wrong signal to Putin
The Allies are already spending more money – but until this creates an effective deterrent, the USA should remain present on the ground, according to Rogers and Wicker. A premature reduction runs the risk of weakening deterrence and sending the wrong signal to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. “Instead of completely withdrawing troops from the continent, it is in the US interest to maintain a strong deterrence presence in Europe by moving these 5,000 US soldiers east,” they suggest.
The two members of Congress also say that, unlike planned, the Pentagon will not send a battalion to Germany for the use of long-range weapons. There is currently no official information from the US government about this. Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden promised at the 2024 NATO summit to station medium-range weapons with conventional warheads in Germany. (sda/dpa)