US soldiers at the end of April during a maneuver at the German NATO base Hohenfels in Bavaria.Image: keystone
The 10 most important questions and answers about Donald Trump’s announced troop withdrawal from Europe.
May 4, 2026, 6:58 amMay 4, 2026, 6:58 am
Against the backdrop of increasing tensions between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the US government is ordering the partial withdrawal of soldiers from Germany. Around 5,000 of them are to be relocated in the next six to twelve months – in Trump’s words, there could even be “far more” in the end.
The official reason: an examination of the troop presence in Europe and the requirements of the operational areas as a whole.
How are the Americans positioned in Germany so far?
According to information from the US military in mid-April, around 86,000 soldiers are currently stationed in Europe – around 39,000 of them in Germany. The number changes regularly, also due to rotations and exercises. In December 2025, the US military said the number of US soldiers in Germany was just under 36,500.
This makes Germany the second largest US military location outside the USA after Japan. The origin of this lies in the Cold War. Even today, US bases continue to protect Europe from possible Russian aggression. They also make strategic sense for a country like the USA, which is far away from many conflict regions in the world.
Which troops should be withdrawn?
There is only sparse information on this so far. According to a report by the Washington Post, there are two elements involved. On the one hand, the withdrawal of an “Armored Brigade Combat Team” is planned, i.e. a combat brigade, as the newspaper reports, citing a representative of the Ministry of Defense. The US Army currently has such a brigade stationed in Germany as part of “Operation Atlantic Resolve”, which was launched by the USA in 2014 in response to the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea to support NATO partners.
These combat troops rotate, meaning they are temporarily stationed in Germany and are then replaced by other units. So the US Army could decide to stop this rotation.
What else is planned?
According to the Washington Post, the second part of the US plans concerns the stationing of a battalion for the use of long-range weapons, planned for this year. The Ministry of Defense now wants to forego this.
This means that the stationing of medium-range weapons with conventional warheads promised by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden at the 2024 NATO summit may also be in question. Biden had promised to deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, SM-6 missiles and newly developed hypersonic weapons by 2026. Trump had not yet acknowledged Biden’s decision at the time, but had not reversed it either. When requested, nothing was available from the US government.
What does this mean for the security of Europe and NATO?
The relocation of combat troops should be manageable. Before the Russian invasion in February 2022, Biden had increased the number of troops in Europe in view of Putin’s troop buildup. At that time he sent 2,000 additional soldiers to Germany and Poland and relocated 1,000 soldiers from Germany to Romania.
Now the wheel is turned back. This does not come as a surprise, as the Trump administration has long been urging Europeans to ensure their own security. The result is a drastic increase in defense spending by NATO allies.
What would be more serious would be foregoing the stationing of medium-range missiles, which Germany had fully expected. An alternative would now have to be found.
Which locations are affected?
That is still unclear. The reduction in combat troops could most likely affect the locations in Bavaria, i.e. Grafenwöhr, Vilseck and Hohenfels. But concrete plans are not known. So far there is no indication that entire US locations will be closed.
What does the decision mean for German-American relations?
After the “dream start” in the White House last June, relations between Trump and Merz deteriorated dramatically in the wake of the Iran war – within just a few days. The starting point was apparently Merz’s sharp criticism last Monday of the US’s actions in the Iran war. The US President then fired back violently: Merz had no idea what he was talking about and had “remained completely ineffective” with regard to the Ukraine war, said Trump. “I mean, he did a terrible job.”
Last Friday, Trump announced two measures that would affect Germany: the withdrawal of soldiers, whose presence is not only an economic but also a security factor for Germany, and the increase in tariffs on cars and trucks from the EU – which are likely to particularly affect Germany, by far Europe’s largest car manufacturer.
How is the German government reacting?
The federal government is trying, as the saying goes, to keep the ball rolling. Under no circumstances does she want to further escalate the conflict with Trump. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) made it clear that the decision was not unexpected. It was foreseeable that the USA would withdraw troops from Europe and Germany, he said.
He emphasized that the US troop presence in Germany was also in the American interest.
“We work closely with the Americans, in Ramstein, in Grafenwöhr, in Frankfurt and elsewhere, for peace and security in Europe, for Ukraine and for common deterrence.”
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.Image: keystone
Are there critical reactions from the USA?
Yes. Leading security politicians in the Republican Party are warning unusually clearly about Trump’s decision. The withdrawal jeopardizes deterrence towards Russia and sends “the wrong signal” to Vladimir Putin.
Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Representative Mike Rogers of Alabama wrote this in a joint statement over the weekend. Both chair the respective armed forces committees of the two chambers of parliament.
Roger Wicker is critical of the troop withdrawal.Image: keystone
Is there actually a deduction?
Theoretically, it is possible that the US government will only use the announcement as a means of pressure – and then give in again. But there is currently nothing to indicate this.
In principle, there are legal hurdles to the withdrawal of US troops from Europe. Last year, the US Congress decided on a security mechanism: the total number of armed forces permanently in the European Command’s area of responsibility must not be less than 76,000 for more than 45 days.
With a reduction of 5,000 soldiers, the USA would not fall below this number. The question is much more whether Trump will really go one better. Recently he also brought up a partial withdrawal in Italy and Spain.
Trump had already announced in his first term in office that he wanted to withdraw 12,000 of the approximately 35,000 US soldiers from Germany at the time. At the time, he described the project as a punitive action for what he saw as the lack of German military spending. But his successor Biden stopped the plans.
What significance do the German bases have for the US military?
A very big one. For example, the largest US military hospital abroad is in Landstuhl in Rhineland-Palatinate. If this were to go away, US soldiers who were wounded in the Middle East would have to make the long journey to the USA. Ramstein Air Base (Rhineland-Palatinate) is also the central air hub for Europe and the Middle East. (aargauerzeitung.ch)