Pentagon: White House did not request plan to withdraw Germany troops
The Pentagon said on Friday that the White House had not requested any plans for pulling U.S. troops from Germany following a media report that it is analyzing the possibility.
The Washington Post reported that the military is assessing the cost of a large-scale withdrawal or transfer of forces stationed there after President Trump expressed interest.
The report comes amid rising trade tensions between Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and an upcoming trip to Europe by the president where he intends to press NATO allies on their military spending.
The White House’s National Security Council “has not requested the Department of Defense to provide a cost analysis on the repositioning of U.S. troops in Germany,” Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told the Washington Examiner. “The Pentagon regularly reviews force posture and performs cost-benefit analyses. This is nothing new.”
The U.S. has stationed troops in Europe since World War II, and Germany is host to the largest presence on the continent, which is about 35,000 troops.
“We remain fully committed to our NATO ally and the NATO alliance,” Pahon said.
Trump has hit Germany and other European allies with steel and aluminum tariffs, and, as they prepare to retaliate, the president has indicated he may put additional tariffs on vehicle imports, which could hit Berlin hardest.
He has also criticized the allies for relying too heavily on the U.S. for defense. As a NATO ally, Germany has also committed to spend 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense, but like other members of the alliance have not met that benchmark.
Trump is set to travel to a NATO meeting in Belgium in July where both subjects could come up.
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