President Donald Trump has announced that his administration is reviewing a potential reduction of US troops stationed in Germany. The announcement came on Wednesday via a post on Truth Social, where Trump stated, "The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time." This move follows Trump's criticism of Germany and other NATO allies for not sending their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz.
Background of US Troops in Germany
As of December 2025, the US had just over 68,000 active-duty military personnel permanently assigned to overseas bases in Europe, according to data from the US Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC). More than half of these troops—approximately 36,400—are based in Germany. This number is a fraction of the 250,000 US troops stationed there in 1985, before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. A senior White House official had earlier told Reuters that Trump had discussed the possibility of removing some US troops from Europe.
Tensions with Germany Over Iran War
Trump has been engaged in a public spat with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war in Iran. On Tuesday, Trump criticized Merz after the German leader suggested that Iranians were humiliating the US in talks to end the two-month-old conflict. Merz responded on Wednesday by stating that relations with Trump were good despite the disagreement. Trump's post on Truth Social came hours after Germany's top general, Carsten Breuer, met with US Defense Undersecretary Elbridge Colby and other defense officials to discuss Germany's first military strategy outside the NATO umbrella since World War Two.
Germany's Military Strategy
Colby praised the German document, which outlines Berlin's goal to become Europe's largest conventional force, in a series of posts on X. He stated, "President Trump has rightly laid out that Europe must step up, and NATO must no longer be a paper tiger. Germany is now taking the leading role in this. After years of disarmament, Berlin is stepping up." Breuer told reporters in Washington that Colby showed "great appreciation" for Germany's military strategy and its financial commitment to achieving that goal. However, Breuer gave no indication that US officials had discussed reducing US troops in Germany.
Reactions and Implications
The German embassy had no immediate comment, while the Pentagon referred queries to the White House, which also had no immediate comment. Trump has long criticized Germany and other European countries for not spending enough on their own defense, although he lauded NATO members' decision to boost defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Tensions flared again after NATO allies refused to support Trump's war against Iran, which he launched with Israel without consulting them. Trump's desire to acquire Greenland from NATO member Denmark, which was firmly rebuffed, also strained ties.
Jeff Rathke, a former US diplomat and president of the American-German Institute at Johns Hopkins University, noted that Trump sought a major reduction in US troop levels in Germany during his first term, but that was never realized. Rathke emphasized that US forces in Europe are not a charitable contribution but an instrument of America's global military reach. Despite Trump's sporadic social media posts about quitting NATO or cutting troops, US and German military officials say their working relationship remains strong.
