President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States is weighing a potential reduction of its military presence in Germany, a move that would affect the largest concentration of American forces in Europe.
“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Germany currently hosts more than 36,000 active U.S. service members, according to Defense Department data, including personnel stationed at major installations such as Ramstein Air Base, the largest American air base overseas and a central hub for operations in the Middle East. The country contains five of the seven U.S. garrisons in Europe, making it the backbone of Washington’s military footprint on the continent.
Trump’s statement follows renewed tensions with German leadership after Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized U.S. handling of negotiations with Iran earlier this week.
“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” Merz said.
“An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible.”
Trump responded to the remarks on social media, saying Merz “doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul later sought to clarify the chancellor’s comments, emphasizing that they were directed at Tehran rather than Washington.
“It was addressing the behavior of Iran,” Wadephul told DW’s Berlin bureau chief Max Hoffmann in New York City.
“They are, as I said, misunderstanding their position and overplaying their role, so this is what the chancellor said,” Wadephul stressed.
The possibility of a U.S. troop drawdown in Germany has circulated for months, though no formal decision has been announced. After Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy host the next-largest American military contingents in Europe, underscoring the broader strategic implications of any shift in force posture.
