US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the withdrawal of around 5,000 American troops stationed in Germany, the Pentagon said on Friday.
The drawdown is to be completed over the next six to 12 months, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
“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,” he added.
The announcement came a day after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut US troop numbers in Germany, and criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran.
Trump lashed out at Merz over his criticism of the Iran war, saying that the German leader “doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” and calling him “totally ineffective.”
On Friday, Trump also announced an increase in tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union, a move that will hit Germany hardest.
A senior Pentagon official told Reuters that recent German rhetoric had been “inappropriate and unhelpful.”
“The president is rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks,” the news agency quoted the unnamed official as saying.
The US currently has more forces in Germany than anywhere else in Europe, dating from the end of World War II and the start of the Cold War.
As of December 2025, more than 36,000 active service members were stationed in Germany, according to the US Defense Manpower Data Center.
This includes personnel at Ramstein in southwestern Germany, regarded as the US’ largest overseas air force base.
The US has several other major military facilities in Germany, including the headquarters for US European Command and US Africa Command.
After Germany, which is home to five of the seven US garrisons in Europe, the United Kingdom and Italy have the biggest presence of US personnel on the continent. – DW.
