Armed Services Republicans 'very concerned' about US troops withdrawal from Germany [View all]

Source: The Hill

05/02/26 12:12 PM ET


The chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Service committees on Saturday expressed they are “very concerned” about the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany amid President Trump’s feud with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Trump on Wednesday had announced that he was reviewing a possible reduction of U.S. troops in Germany.

“We are very concerned by the decision to withdraw a U.S. brigade from Germany,” the chairs, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), said in a joint statement. “Germany has stepped up in response to President Trump’s call for greater burden sharing, significantly increasing defense spending and providing seamless access, basing, and overflight for U.S. forces in support of Operation Epic Fury.”

Wicker and Rogers said that “prematurely reducing” the U.S. military presence in Europe “sends the wrong signal” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. They argue that an assessment on permitting European allies to assume primary responsibility, as they “move toward spending 5% of GDP on defense… will take time.”

The chairmen suggested that rather than removing the troops out of Europe entirely, they should be forwarded to the east. They also insisted that “significant” changes to the U.S.’s posture in Europe demands “a deliberate review process.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5860717-house-senate-armed-services-germany/