Germany Plays Down Pentagon Decision to Pull 5,000 Troops as NATO Allies Fear U.S. Disengagement
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed Saturday that Defense Secretary Hegseth had ordered the withdrawal of roughly 5,000 troops from Germany, to be completed within six to twelve months, leaving over 30,000 U.S. personnel in-country. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius characterized the decision as "anticipated" and said Germany was ready to assume greater defense responsibility; Chancellor Merz told ARD, per Reuters, that there was "no connection" between recent friction with Washington and the drawdown. Trump told reporters Thursday he was also weighing reductions in Italy and Spain, citing what he called unhelpful responses to the Iran conflict. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned publicly that "the ongoing disintegration of our alliance" posed the greatest threat to the transatlantic community.
The withdrawal order, the first concrete force-posture reduction in Europe since Trump took office, creates an operational test of NATO's burden-sharing rhetoric: Germany's characterization of the decision as anticipated and its pledge to assume greater defense responsibility will now be measured against actual capability timelines. Physical withdrawal of at least one unit will