Donald Trump says he is considering a reduction in US armed forces in Germany
Opinion (with AFP)
Washington – Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was considering a reduction in US armed forces stationed in Germany, after vindictive remarks against the German chancellor over the war in Iran. “The United States is currently studying and examining the possibility of a reduction in military personnel in Germany, and a decision will be made very soon,” the American president wrote on his Truth Social platform. More than 35,000 U.S. military personnel were stationed in Germany in 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service, but German media estimates the number is now closer to 50,000. The Republican has never stopped, during his two mandates, sharply criticizing NATO and brandishing the threat of a reduction in American troops in Germany and other European countries. His decision on Wednesday to review the workforce in Germany comes the day after strong criticism of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He accused him of “not knowing what he was talking about” on Iran, after the German leader had asserted that “the Americans (had) obviously no strategy” in Iran and judged that Tehran was “humiliating” the leading power worldwide. After these diatribes and before Donald Trump’s decision to consider the withdrawal of troops in Germany, the American Secretary of State spoke on Wednesday by telephone with the German Minister of Foreign Affairs. Johann Wadephul and Marco Rubio addressed the issue of Iran and the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott. The German chancellor eased tensions on Wednesday, saying that his relations with Donald Trump remained “good and unchanged”. But Washington seems determined to implement retaliatory measures against Western allies for their lack of commitment to the war in Iran. Last week, a report indicated that the United States was considering suspending Spain from NATO and that it may review its position on the Falkland Islands in response to the lack of British support for the war against Iran. Washington subsequently reaffirmed neutrality regarding the contested sovereignty of the Falkland Islands between Argentina and Great Britain, which engaged in a short but bloody war in 1982 for control of the archipelago, won by Great Britain. © Agence France-Presse
