The Department of Defense of the Donald Trump Administration announced that the personnel reduction in Germany is due to the timing "of the theater of operations on the ground." The decision would imply the departure of around 14% of the soldiers stationed in the European country, one of Washington's main allies on the old continent. The announcement comes after more than a week of verbal exchanges between Trump and Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war in Iran.

First modification: 05/02/2026 - 04:14 Last modification: 05/02/2026 - 18:16

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The United States decides to reduce its military personnel in Germany. This Friday, May 1, the Department of Defense announced in a statement that the decision will be carried out after a direct order from the head of the portfolio, Pete Hegseth.

“This decision follows a comprehensive review of the Department's force posture in Europe and responds to the needs of the theater of operations and conditions on the ground,” reads the text, signed by War Department spokesman Sean Parnell.

The Pentagon reported that the total withdrawal of the men located in the European country will take “six to twelve months.”

A senior Pentagon official spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity and said that the German government's rhetoric in recent days had been "inappropriate and unhelpful."

"The president is rightly reacting to these counterproductive comments," he added.

It is estimated that with this reduction the number of troops of Washington's Armed Forces located on the European continent will be reduced to the levels of 2022, prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

During his first period in the White House, Trump had already promoted a reduction of personnel in the German country, but in the end this order never came true.

Specifically, a brigade combat team that is now in Germany will be withdrawn and a long-range fires battalion that the Biden Administration had planned to begin deploying in Germany later this year will no longer do so, Defense Department sources assured the Associated Press agency.

Chain of disagreements between Berlin and Washington

In recent days the discord between President Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has been increasing.

On Thursday, the American president wrote on his Truth Social account that Merz should not "meddle in the affairs of those who are ending the Iranian nuclear threat, which would make the world, including Germany, a safer place."

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The statements came after the head of the Berlin Government questioned the performance of the Republican Administration in the negotiations to end the war with Iran, the economic consequences of which have impacted the European country.

"As far as Iran is concerned, I feel disappointed, and simply because the United States and Israel assumed that the problem would be resolved in a few days and today we have to see that this is not the case," Merz said this week.

Furthermore, the political leader of the Christian Democratic Union Party emphasized that at times Washington does not seem to have a clear negotiation strategy with the ayatollah regime, and that "an entire country" would be "humiliated" by the Iranian leadership.

In response, Donald Trump maintained that Merz "does not know what he is talking about" and reiterated that the attack against the Islamic Republic had a basis, thanks to the fact that the Iranians "were seeking to obtain a nuclear weapon."

The White House's disagreement also stems from the refusal of NATO members to participate in operations to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.

The Reuters agency reported last week that it has evidence that the Pentagon would be considering retaliation against its NATO allies, such as suspending Spain from the military alliance and reviewing the US position on the British claim to the Falkland Islands with Argentina.

It is a clash of visions between the leaders of two countries that have been close allies for decades, both commercially and militarily. It is not in vain that Germany is the country in Europe with the most American troops in its territory.

What is the military importance of Germany to the United States?

According to estimates, the United States has around 36,000 members of its Armed Forces ready in Germany. If President Trump's announcement comes true, there would be a 14% staff reduction.

The European power is home to several major US military installations, including the headquarters of its European and African commands, as well as Ramstein Air Base and a medical center in Landstuhl, where wounded from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were once treated.

Also, according to official information there are US nuclear missiles stationed in the European nation.

Experts argue that the United States may have reasons that go beyond its discontent with European governments to make decisions like this Friday's.

Nico Lange, from the Center of European Policy Analysis, told the Associated Press agency that the moves being made by the Pentagon are part of a "projection of American power at a global level."

Depending on needs and ongoing exercises, the United States usually has between 80,000 and 100,000 soldiers in European territory. In fact, public reports indicate that NATO allies have expected for more than a year that Washington's troops deployed at the start of the war in Ukraine would be the first to be relocated.

With AP and Reuters

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