Trump says U.S. will pull ‘a lot’ more troops from Germany; key Republicans push back on drawdown
by Ben Wolfgang · The Washington TimesPresident Trump vowed over the weekend to pull “a lot” more American troops from Germany after an initial reduction of 5,000, as fallout from the Iran war reshapes power dynamics around the world and fuels political friction at home.
Key Republican leaders on Capitol Hill said they were “very concerned” about pulling U.S. forces from Germany and the signal it sends to America’s adversaries.
The Pentagon announced the move late last week amid a public feud between Mr. Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over U.S. strategy in the Iran conflict.
The Pentagon said it would complete the reduction of 5,000 within six to 12 months. Mr. Trump said he is prepared to go much further. “We’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” the president told reporters Saturday in Florida.
Changes to America’s force posture in Europe could be one lasting consequence of the Iran war.
Another might be a deeper partnership structure with Persian Gulf countries. The Trump administration is racing to provide Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and long-standing ally Israel with more American-made arms to defend against any attacks by Iran or its proxies.
Some powerful Democrats said Sunday that in totality, two months after launching a war against Iran, the U.S. is now in an even worse position.
“We’re seeing incredible impacts economically in the United States, in oil prices, fertilizer prices. The world itself is shuddering on some of these economic blows,” Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told ABC’s “This Week” program.
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“And the regime in Tehran is probably more hostile and fanatical than the one that we replaced,” Mr. Reed said.
The U.S. and Iran appear a long way off from a permanent deal to end the conflict. Iranian government officials said Tehran is reviewing the U.S. response to its latest proposal on ending the war but made clear these were not nuclear negotiations.
Curtailing Iran’s nuclear program remains a key priority for the U.S. in any lasting agreement. The two sides are in an open-ended temporary ceasefire, but hostilities remain in the waters off Iran’s coast.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz was attacked by multiple small craft.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, but it has said that ships not affiliated with the U.S. or Israel can pass if they pay a toll. The Iranians did not immediately claim responsibility for the apparent attack Sunday.
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Behind-the-scenes negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are grinding ahead, but Mr. Trump suggested Saturday that attacks on Iran could resume.
“I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Future of troops in Germany
The war against Iran has deepened some American partnerships but put pressure on others. There is no greater example of the latter than in Germany, where about 36,000 U.S. active-duty military personnel are stationed. It is the largest U.S. troop presence in Europe.
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After the Pentagon confirmed it would pull 5,000 troops from Germany, key congressional Republicans pushed back.
In a joint statement Saturday, Sen. Roger F. Wicker of Mississippi and Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama — the Republican chairmen of the Senate and House armed services committees, respectively — pressed the Pentagon to keep those troops in Europe and to explain to Congress the rationale behind the move.
“We are very concerned by the decision to withdraw a U.S. brigade from Germany. Germany has stepped up in response to Mr. Trump’s call for greater burden sharing, significantly increasing defense spending and providing seamless access, basing and overflight for U.S. forces in support of Operation Epic Fury,” they said, referring to the U.S. operation against Iran.
“The reality remains even as allies move toward spending 5% of GDP on defense, translating that investment into the military capability needed to assume primary responsibility for conventional deterrence will take time,” they said. “Prematurely reducing America’s forward presence in Europe before those capabilities are fully realized risks undermining deterrence and sending the wrong signal to [Russian President] Vladimir Putin.”
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Last week, Mr. Merz was especially pointed in his criticism of the U.S. approach in Iran. “The Americans clearly have no strategy, and the problem with conflicts like this is always that you don’t just have to go in …,” Mr. Merz said on April 27. “You also have to get out again.”
NATO officials said they want more information about the strategy behind the move. They also said it demonstrates that European nations must take greater responsibility for their own defense rather than relying on the U.S.
“We are working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany,” NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said in a social media post. “This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defense and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security” on the continent.
Also over the weekend, the State Department approved arms sales worth more than $8.6 billion to key U.S. partners across the Middle East.
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The major arms sales to Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates underscore the changing geopolitical and military dynamics across the region, where the Iran war is pushing some key Gulf players closer to Washington while isolating Tehran from its neighbors.
The largest foreign military sale was $4 billion worth of Patriot missile defense battery replenishment and related equipment to Qatar, home to America’s Al Udeid Air Base. The U.S. also will sell the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System to Qatar for $992.4 million, the State Department said.
Qatar is one of the many Gulf states that has come under attack by Iran over the past two months. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is also affecting the economies and energy exports of those countries.
The U.S. will sell Kuwait the Integrated Battle Command System and related equipment, valued at $2.5 billion, the State Department said.
As part of the $8.6 billion package, the U.S. will sell weapons and other military equipment to Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Israel is set to receive Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems valued at $992 million, and the United Arab Emirates will receive the same system valued at $148 million.
All those nations are key U.S. partners in the Middle East. Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE host American military installations.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.