The United States will withdraw about 5,000 troops from Germany in the next 6-12 months, the Pentagon said Friday.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the “decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground.”
The U.S. has several major military facilities in Germany, including the headquarters for U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command, Ramstein Air Base and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest American hospital outside the United States.
The number of troops leaving Germany would be 14% of the 36,000 American service members stationed there.
Nico Lange from the Center of European Policy Analysis told The Associated Press earlier this week that they primarily serve U.S. interests, including “the projection of American power globally,” rather than helping with the defense of Germany.
Trump ignored questions from reporters about the withdrawal on Friday as he boarded Air Force One in Ocala, Florida, following a rally to tout his economic agenda.
