The United States will withdraw approximately 5,000 troops from Germany, CBS News, Reuters and Fox News' Jackie Heinrich reported in X.
“The decision was made after a comprehensive review of department forces in Europe and taking into account the requirements of the theater of operations and the situation on the ground“, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
The withdrawal is expected to take six months to a year.
Senior Pentagon officials have described the move as a sign of President Donald Trump's dissatisfaction with the level of assistance that European allies are providing to the United States in the war with Iran.
According to Pentagon data cited by CBS News, as of Dec. As of 2025, more than 36,000 US troops were stationed at military bases in Germany. In addition, Germany has about 1,500 reservists and 11,500 civilian employees.
On April 30, Trump announced that the United States was exploring the possibility of reducing its military contingent in Germany. The announcement followed criticism from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who claimed that Washington had no "exit strategy" for the war with Iran and believed that the US side had been "humiliated" during the negotiations.
Trump responded by saying that the chancellor did not know what she was talking about. He also advised Merz to focus on ending the Ukrainian conflict.
In early April, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reported that the Trump administration was considering a plan to "punish" of certain NATO members. This refers to those members of the alliance that the White House considered insufficiently useful during the US operation in Iran. The plan called for the withdrawal of US troops from these countries and their deployment in places that Washington considered more useful.