Former and Current U.S. Military Officials Say Trump’s Troop Cuts in Germany Would Harm U.S. Interests

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[The Financial News] As Donald John Trump has decided to reduce the more than 36,000 U.S. troops stationed in Germany, American media outlets have reported comments from former and current military officials who warned that the move could damage U.S. interests.
On the 30th local time, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) ran an article titled, "Trump's threat to pull U.S. troops from Germany risks undermining American power projection."
Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who once commanded U.S. Army forces in Europe, told WSJ that U.S. troops in Germany and elsewhere in Europe are not there to protect Germans. He added that U.S. assets such as logistics facilities and training grounds are "for the United States, and not for anyone else."
At a House Armed Services Committee hearing in March, Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the current commander of United States European Command (USEUCOM), explained that the command helps ensure Europe serves as a platform for homeland defense and power projection.
Claudia Major, who heads transatlantic security research at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said that even a partial withdrawal of U.S. troops from Europe would hurt America's ability to project power around the world. "Most of those soldiers are not NATO troops. They serve U.S. national interests," she said.
Trump has announced on social media that he plans to cut U.S. troops in Germany, but he has not said he will bring them back to the United States.
Observers also noted that a permanent and substantial reduction in the U.S. troop presence in Europe would likely require congressional approval.
For that reason, the most likely interpretation is that Trump wants to move troops out of Germany and redeploy them to Eastern European countries that are more favorable to his administration.
However, such a redeployment would also be costly and complicated, and it could disrupt readiness.
Politico reported, citing a congressional aide, that the Pentagon had not expected Trump to announce a plan to cut troops in Germany and had not prepared any reduction plan.
The aide said Trump should be seen as seriously pursuing the move, just as he did in the summer of 2020.
During Trump's first term, he and then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced a plan to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Germany by 11,900.
Under the plan, 6,400 troops were to return to the U.S. mainland, while the remaining 5,600 were to be redeployed to NATO member states such as Belgium and Italy. Many of the troops returning home were also expected to rotate through Poland, the Baltic states, and the Black Sea region.
However, the plan was never carried out after Trump failed to win reelection in November that year.
rsunjun@fnnews.com Reporter Yu Seon-jun Reporter