The leadership of the North Atlantic Alliance is clarifying the details of the US authorities' decision to withdraw part of its troop contingent from the territory of Germany.
NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart announced this on social media on May 2.
“We are working with the US to understand the details of their decision to make adjustments to the deployment of forces in Germany. These changes demonstrate the need for Europe to increase its defense investment and take greater responsibility for its own security,” Hart wrote.
She also emphasized that Europe is already demonstrating “progress” in strengthening its own defense capabilities, recalling that at the 2025 NATO summit, the bloc's allies agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.
The Alliance spokeswoman expressed confidence that “a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO” will be able to provide the appropriate level of defense and deterrence.
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.
Already on May 1, Pentagon representatives announced that they would redeploy 5,000 of their military personnel from Germany.
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.
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.