Trump Orders Pentagon to Reduce US Forces
Based in Germany
Red State,
by
Becca Lower
Original Article
Posted By: Dreadnought,
5/1/2026 8:36:40 PM
The United States has been reassessing the force strength our military maintains around the world, under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in President Trump's second term, and it is now acting on that review, according to new reporting on Friday:
President Trump ordered the Pentagon on Friday to withdraw about 5,000 U.S. service members from Germany amid his public feud with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The redeployment of troops will bring the number of service members roughly to pre-2022 levels and will affect a brigade combat team and potentially other U.S. forces already in Germany, according to a senior Pentagon official.
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Good news of the day! Bravo, President Trump!
61 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Ketchuplover 5/1/2026 8:58:56 PM (No. 2099596)
Gratitude and deep humble appreciation for American troops peaked with the WWII (Two, not Eleven, Ilhan) generation. When I visited Germany in the 90s, this appreciation was still evident in talking with some of the elderly. Now as the years go by, I think our forces are increasingly being taken for granted and even mocked. Good move, Mr. President.
73 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
earlybird 5/1/2026 9:01:49 PM (No. 2099598)
Report today said Spain and Italy will be next.
55 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
JimBob 5/1/2026 9:12:05 PM (No. 2099601)
Who pays the wages for the American troops posted to these various foreign countries? If the host country is reimbursing the USA for our troops to protect them from Russia, that's one thing. But, if American taxpayers are footing the bill, I say bring as many home as we can, and let them spend their wages here in the USA. Keep just enough forces deployed to keep the important support bases -Ramstein air base in Germany comes to mind- open, as we need those bases to support other operations, and bring the rest home.
Our government is overextended, and we should cut costs where it is practical to do so.
49 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Birddog 5/1/2026 10:09:40 PM (No. 2099609)
In June 2020, President Donald Trump announced plans to reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed in Germany. A month later, Defense Secretary Mark Esper specified that troop levels would be cut to about 24,000, implying a withdrawal of roughly 12,000 personnel, around one third of the force.
The proposal faced criticism in both Germany and the United States, including from the U.S. Congress, which imposed conditions on any withdrawal in the 2021 defense authorization legislation.Following the inauguration of Joe Biden in 2021, the planned reduction was halted, and instead an increase of approximately 500 troops was announced.
Two bases(0f approximately 40) bases were/are already scheduled to be closed..
He is in fact taking a much more "Diplomatic" path than the one I and others favored, which was, after a recent round of insults and threats from the German Pols, to simply order an immediate withdrawal of armored forces aprox 1/3-1/2 in total, and have them move to nearest seaports...ON THEIR OWN TRACKS, not by trucks and trailers...over the German roadways, in columns, and stop for NOTHING, go by he most direct routes regardless of what that meant for towns or traffic. when they arrived at the Ports, stage on whatever docks/piers we have chosen and Have Navy ships appear to load them, shoving any OTHER shipping out of the way if needed. Not to ask for permission, just "Announce" that we are doing it...starting the next day. A major part of Germany's GDP is derived from US spending their, buying supplies, electricity, Gas,Oil, and US employees spending on personal Items, as well as a huge number of Germans who are directly employed, an even larger number who are indirectly employed by US
28 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
skacmar 5/1/2026 10:23:18 PM (No. 2099610)
Guess Germany will soon find out how much the US military forces actually contribute to the local economy in Germany. Spain and Italy will also find out. Local economies who have taken the US military presence for granted will soon find out how important our military really is to their economy and country.
42 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
DVC 5/1/2026 11:23:09 PM (No. 2099616)
Good. Let the Euroweenies take up the slack.
45 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
crashnburn 5/1/2026 11:23:43 PM (No. 2099617)
I remember somewhere in the Bahamas, the US had a naval base and would use it to stage to a small island to practice gunnery. The locals started protesting the gunnery practice so eventually the Navy stopped using it. And, as the naval base was there to support the practice, it was closed. Then the locals were upset the Navy was pulling out. Guess it is true "Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it."
The US Army is in Germany to act as a trip wire if Russia were ever to invade. I don't think they are necessary anymore, as we can have continuous surveillance of Russian forces and would know immediately where they were headed. I agree, some bases must be maintained, but not the yuge force we have there now.
35 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
kono 5/2/2026 1:31:35 AM (No. 2099629)
I like it; but I wonder if we'll regret pushing a reunified Germany to build its own forces.
7 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
DiegoDude 5/2/2026 5:56:07 AM (No. 2099638)
Having been stationed in Holland & Belgium in the 70's & 80's, at the height of the Cold War, it long past due
18 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
petrichor 5/2/2026 6:28:17 AM (No. 2099640)
I hope we have the housing for all of those troops brought back to the U.S.A.
5 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
Strike3 5/2/2026 6:41:28 AM (No. 2099643)
Let the Germans find out for themselves how valuable having those troops there actually was for them. I remember when the Puerto Ricans demanded and demonstrated that we remove our naval bases from Roosevelt Roads and Sabana Seca. Then they screamed about how many unemployed local people there were afterwards.
29 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
privateer 5/2/2026 7:22:45 AM (No. 2099660)
When the troops arrive stateside, assign them to root out illegals. Housing will miraculously be freed up. If they can protect Krauts from Russians, they can protect the USA from invading hordes with conquest in mind. Posse Comitatis? Offer them early exit with a huge bonus; provided they serve their remaining enlistment in ICE.
29 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 5/2/2026 8:48:21 AM (No. 2099689)
Smart move, Mr. President. Reducing the military presence in Europe is also a necessary cost-savings emergency measure as the federal government attempts to reduce spending and survive financially.
16 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Ida Lou Pino 5/2/2026 9:00:28 AM (No. 2099697)
It's not only Fred Merz who is angry about this - - but his wife Ethel is furious.
Ethel may have to go back to her old job in the chocolate factory.
20 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
udanja99 5/2/2026 9:05:55 AM (No. 2099702)
#9, I seriously doubt that they are capable of doing that these days. Germany is probably a lot like the UK in that less than half of their population would be willing to fight to defend their country. All of Europe has gotten fat and lazy due to their socialist governments. Besides, they have their own Muslim problem to deal with.
16 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
TruthFetish 5/2/2026 9:12:02 AM (No. 2099710)
#5 You have the right idea. Would love to see that happen! With as much noise as possible.
10 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
felixcat 5/2/2026 9:15:10 AM (No. 2099714)
About time. It's not the 1940s, or 50s or even the 70s anymore. It's bad enough the too many members of NATO don't even pay for their defense as required by the treaty (not Trump), but that us taxpayers have to support all these bases, personnel, dependents, etc etc - for what exactly? Time to end the nice all expenses paid European tour for US service members and their dependents.
16 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
Zumkopf 5/2/2026 9:54:01 AM (No. 2099732)
#9, Germany can’t even keep its lights on, would rather buy natural gas from Russia than drill for it themselves, and is hollowing out its industry rather than cut its social spending. They are in neither the physical nor the mental position to increase their military at all, let alone threaten anyone else.
13 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
vinegrower 5/2/2026 2:52:33 PM (No. 2099834)
In February 1951, while serving as the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) for NATO, Dwight D. Eisenhower stated that if American troops stationed in Europe for national defense purposes had not been returned to the United States within 10 years, "then this whole project [NATO] will have failed"
8 people like this.
Looks like World War 'Eleven' is coming to an end.
8 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 5/2/2026 7:40:47 PM (No. 2099889)
While a young Army soldier, we were ordered to jet off to Germany and participate in a "Reforger Exercise," ostensibly to assess NATO's readiness for "the big one" with the Soviet Bear. Today, Germany isn't even ready to handle the "Behar" from the View.
It was on that trip that learned how this "NATO thing" really worked when a couple of us got to talking with one of the many U.S. "observers." There were military ones and others in civilian clothes would tag along with clipboards, etc. through forest and stream, thicket and bramble, without complaint. During one of our many, "waiting for orders" moments, one of our guys asked one of them, point-blank, what he was doing. Most of them would never speak to the "combatants," but this one did; he explained that his job was to document ANY damage done to farms, structures, roads, etc. by the U.S. Army during this "outing" and that a full accounting and payment would be made to the host nation (Germany), who then recompense their angry farmers, ranchers, and civilians. He also stated that this amount easily ran into millions of dollars (mid-70's) each time. I remember thinking how it would be "US" who would be coming back to die saving them, and that the Soviet Union would NOT be paying for their damages incurred. At the time, I couldn't help but wonder, which side really "lost" in 1945?
5 people like this.
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