Republican members of Congress Roger Wicker and Mike Rogers, the former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the latter the same position in the House of Representatives, opposed President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany.
“Premature reduction of American forward deployments in Europe undermines deterrence and sends the wrong message to Vladimir Putin. It is in the US interest not to withdraw forces from the continent, but to move these troops east to strengthen deterrence,” they say.
Earlier, the Pentagon officially announced the withdrawal of about 5,000 American troops from Germany. President Trump said more troops would be withdrawn. The process should be completed within the next 6-12 months. The Pentagon calls this a “revision of the balance of power in Europe.” The total number of American troops in Germany is 36,000.
Trump’s announcement of possible U.S. troop cuts in Germany came after sharp criticism from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who this week said “the Iranians are strong, they are humiliating the United States” and accused Trump of entering the war with “no strategy at all.”