The Pentagon from above in March 2022.Image: keystone
According to a recent Pentagon investigation, there are actually no plans to withdraw troops from Europe. Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump now apparently has other plans.
May 1, 2026, 9:42 p.mMay 1, 2026, 9:42 p.m
Charlotta Siemer / t-online
With his announcement that he wanted to withdraw US troops from Germany, US President Donald Trump probably also surprised the Pentagon. This is reported by Politico, citing several defense officials. Accordingly, Trump’s contribution was at Truth Social for them the first information about such an initiative. They are said to have hastily tried to find out whether the president was serious about the withdrawal threat.
The Pentagon “did not expect this and has no plans to withdraw troops,” said a congressional official familiar with the situation. The Pentagon recently completed a review of the global troop presence that lasted several months. The result: There are no plans for a major troop reduction in Europe.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Politico that the Defense Department plans for any scenario and is fully prepared to carry out the commander-in-chief’s orders at the time and place of his choosing.
“Trump’s policy of crude threats has reached its limit”
Trump’s comments followed a critical statement from the Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merzto war in Iran. They are part of the increasing anti-European rhetoric during Trump’s current term in office. So he was already threatening to leave NATO to exit, Greenland to annex and also He recently wanted to throw Spain out of NATO – even though he has no authority to do so.
A German official familiar with the event told Politico: “Trump’s policy of crude threats has reached its limits.” His rhetoric had become unbelievable. “A withdrawal of US troops from Germany would… USA seriously weaken ourselves, and we ask ourselves when those responsible will be in Washington will take responsibility again.”
US troops are important for Germany
According to the US military, a good 36,400 US soldiers were stationed in Germany at the end of 2025. This makes Germany the second largest US military location outside the USA after Japan. The US has several bases, many of them in the southwest and south. One of the most militarily important is the Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate. For the USA, it is the central air hub for Europe and the Middle East.
US troops are also important for Germany. Especially in the face of an aggressive Russia, Germany is dependent on deterrence from the USA – the German Bundeswehr itself does not yet have the necessary capacity for this. A withdrawal of US troops would leave a gap that the German Bundeswehr could not fill.
The troop presence is important for the regional economy around the US bases in Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate: it employs around 12,000 German civilian employees and is a significant source of income for the often structurally weak regions because the US Army demands goods and services there.
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