The US Department of Defense will withdraw 5,000 of its troops from Germany. They will be redeployed to the United States and other positions abroad.
This was reported by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, citing Pentagon representatives.
According to US Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell, the withdrawal of US troops from Germany is planned to be completed within the next six to twelve months.
“This decision was made after a thorough analysis of the Ministry's deployment of forces in Europe and taking into account the requirements of the theater of military operations and conditions on the ground,” he said.
Another senior Pentagon official told reporters that this redeployment of soldiers would return the number of American troops in Europe to approximately the level it was before 2022. Thus, one brigade of ground forces will be withdrawn from German territory, as well as, probably, other US units stationed in the country.
In addition, the changes will affect the battalion of long-range missile systems, which the former White House leadership planned to deploy in Germany at the end of 2026.
Germany is the center of the US military presence in Europe. Currently, approximately 36,000 soldiers are stationed there. In total, there are 85,000 American troops in Europe, according to the WSJ.
Back in May 2025, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker stated that Washington intended to begin discussions with European allies on a bloc to reduce the number of US troops in Europe.
On April 30, 2026, US President Donald Trump, amid disputes with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war in Iran, announced that his administration was considering reducing the number of troops on German territory.