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American Military Personnel in Germany: Trump Proposes Optimism for Berlin - American military personnel in Germany: Trump revives spirits with promise
President Donald Trump has sparked Germany's optimism that the American soldiers stationed there will remain at their current numbers. During a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) at the White House, Trump responded to a question about whether he would keep the US troops stationed in Germany, stating, "Yes, we will discuss it." If Germany desires to keep the American soldiers there, he is open to it. "Yes, we will do it. It's no problem."
Trump also made it clear about the soldiers based in Germany: "We have plenty of them, around 45,000." These soldiers make substantial financial contributions in Germany, boosting economic development. Moreover, the relation with Germany is crucial to him.
The Vice-Chair of the Union faction in the Bundestag responsible for foreign policy, Norbert Röttgen (CDU), told the German Press Agency in Berlin: "This is positive news for the security of Europe." Röttgen perceived Trump's statement as a "commitment ... to keep the US troops in Germany."
- Germany
- Europe
- Donald Trump
- Military
- Berlin
- US President
- US Soldiers in Germany
- CDU
- USA
- Norbert Röttgen
- Friedrich Merz
- Union Faction
- Bundestag
A Shift from Past Threats
Before heading out of office, Trump had, amidst his tenure (2017-2021), threatened to reduce the number of troops in Germany. He announced plans to pull out around 12,000 of the then approximately 35,000 US soldiers from Germany. Thousands of them were to be relocated within Europe, with others returning to the USA. Trump's rationale for this plan was a retaliation on what he saw as insufficient German military spending. However, upon Joe Biden coming into office, these plans were halted.
The USA manages several important airforce bases in Germany, beyond their strategic political relevance. These military locations also hold significant economic importance for the respective region.
Current Situation
Current data from the European Command of the US Armed Forces (Eucom) states that about 78,000 American soldiers are stationed in Europe, with around 37,000 in Germany. This number fluctuates due to regular rotations and exercises in the region. Lately, due to the Russian attack on Ukraine, the number has seen considerable volatility.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the USA has stationed thousands of additional soldiers at European bases starting from February 2022 to safeguard NATO areas and deter further Russian aggression. The number of US troops has varied alongside the invasion, according to the US military, ranging between 80,000 and over 100,000. Prior to the war, the average number of American soldiers stationed in Europe was 65,000.
- Germany, given the optimistic statements from President Trump, may maintain its current number of US troops due to Trump's willingness to keep them in the country.
- With approximately 45,000 US soldiers stationed in Germany and substantial economic benefits provided, a recently stated commitment from Donald Trump to preserve the military presence in Germany could potentially facilitate both security in Europe and economic growth in its regions.
