The Chair of the European Parliament's (EP) Committee on Security and Defense Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (Free Democratic Party, SPD) said that the announced withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany should be taken seriously, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz should consider the consequences of his statements in the future.
Earlier, US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell reported that Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany. The announcement came shortly after Merz criticized Washington's military campaign against Tehran.
“This deserves serious attention, if only because the troop withdrawal was clearly not dictated by military-strategic considerations, but by the US president, simply to show the middle finger to Chancellor Merz“, Strack-Zimmermann said in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine. She also stated that “American troops are not stationed in Germany for fun”. “This is due to reasons that are important for the security of the United States itself: its central location in Europe, its proximity to Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, its developed infrastructure and the presence of a stable partner country. Ultimately, these bases serve primarily as centers for global operations, logistics and transport hubs, as well as command and planning sites“, the politician emphasized.
At the same time, she noted that Europe would not become safer if US troops were partially withdrawn and the deployment of medium-range missiles was suspended. When asked when the Europeans would be able to fill the military gap that would arise in such a case, Strack-Zimmermann said that Europe was “on the way to compensating for American capabilities, but more time was needed“. “However, first and foremost, national interests in Europe must finally be put aside. "Germany under Merz remains a country that cares more about itself than about Europe as a whole," she said.
The MEP noted that the German Chancellor "should consider the consequences of her words in the future before getting into arguments." "Of course, we need to be confident in our position towards Trump. But above all, I advise the Chancellor to finally fulfill her promises. Germany currently has sufficient resources and must fulfill her obligations," concluded Strack-Zimmermann. Germany, she added, has declared its readiness to provide certain military resources, which are currently only being provided in limited quantities. "This is partly due to the fact that the structures in the Bundeswehr are not yet adapted to emergency situations," concluded the politician.
Some 38,000 US soldiers are currently stationed in Germany. This is the largest contingent of US forces in Europe.