The Pentagon declared on Friday that the United States would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany amid rising tensions between President Donald Trump and European allies over the ongoing Iran conflict. The announcement came after a heated exchange between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had criticised the handling of peace negotiations, saying Iran was humiliating the US.
A senior Pentagon official told Reuters that such remarks were “inappropriate and unhelpful” and added that “the president is rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks.”
According to the Pentagon, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the withdrawal and expected the process to be completed within six to twelve months. The decision will reduce the presence of US troops in Europe to the numbers seen before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A brigade combat team currently stationed in Germany is set to be pulled out, whereas a planned deployment of a long-range fires battalion has been cancelled.
Germany currently hosts around 35,000 US troops and is the country’s largest military base in Europe, acting as a crucial training and logistics hub.
Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration over NATO allies failing to offer assistance in the operations around the economically critical Strait of Hormuz, which had been subjected to blockades since the beginning of the conflict. The decision to withdraw troops further reflects the widening tension between the American President and Europe over the war.
According to Reuters, a Pentagon official said, “The president has been very clear about his frustrations about our allies’ rhetoric and failure to provide support for US operations that benefit them.”
Merz had pushed back against the criticism, arguing Europe was not informed of the joint US-Israeli operation on Iran on February 28. He also expressed scepticism about the direction of the war.
As geopolitical tensions and a global energy crisis continue to loom over the globe, the withdrawal implies a major shift in the US-Europe defence dynamics.
