Trump plans to reduce U.S. troops in Germany

Trump plans to reduce U.S. troops in Germany

[NFA] The U.S. President says he wants to reduce troops in Germany to 25,000, accusing Berlin of not paying enough in military spending to NATO.

Caroline Malone reports.

President Donald Trump said on Monday (June 15) he wants to decrease the number of U.S. troops deployed in Germany, accusing Berlin of not paying enough to NATO.

Nearly 35,000 U.S. troops are usually stationed in Germany.

There's been an American presence there since World War II, more recently to counter Russian aggression.

Now Berlin has been told the Pentagon will reduce numbers to 25,000.

"...Germany, as you know, is very delinquent in their payments to NATO and they're paying one percent and they're supposed to be at two percent, and two percent is very low.

It should be much more than that.

So, they're delinquent of billions of dollars and this is for years delinquent." Many NATO members boosted military spending in 2019, but some including Germany have not yet reached an agreed target of two percent of GDP.

Poland has.

It held joint military drills with the U.S. over the weekend.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said earlier in the month, he hopes reassigned troops will come to Poland.

"I deeply hope that as a result of the many talks that we had, and that we have shown what a solid partner we are within NATO, that part of the troops based today in Germany which are being removed by the United States will indeed come to Poland and will strengthen the eastern flank of NATO." NATO members are part of a North American and European alliance of defence from outside forces.

Trump has criticised Germany's spending, and accused it of taking advantage of the U.S. on trade.

But some Republicans in Congress have argued the troop cut would be a gift to Russia.