Trump Is Reducing US Troops in ’Delinquent’ Germany, Wrongly Saying It Owes NATO Billions Of $$$

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump said the US will withdraw thousands of troops from Germany, reducing its military presence in the country by roughly a third, after he accused German officials of being “delinquent” in its NATO payments.

Trump told reporters on Monday that the US is “protecting Germany and they’re delinquent, that doesn’t make sense”.

In 2014, NATO members had supported spending 2 per cent of their gross national product on military by 2024. Germany had expected to reach that target by 2031.

Trump claimed that Germany is “delinquent for billions of dollars” and said he was reducing the US military presence to roughly 25,000 service members as retaliation “until they pay”.

The country houses roughly 34,000 troops, a figure that has declined significantly following the peak of the Cold War, as Germany served as a key point for the US and NATO allies between the USSR and the rest of Europe. There also are thousands of civilian staff members with the US Department of Defense.

Germany has since stationed thousands of troops as a staging area for Middle East deployment.

Germany doesn’t owe the US, or NATO, as members’ pledge to spend 2 per cent of their GDP is not contingent on other countries’ support

Following Trump’s comments, German Ambassador Emily Haber said US troops are in Europe to defend transatlantic security and to project US power abroad, according to Reuters.

“Our cooperation on military and security matters has always been very close and will remain so,” Haber said during an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, Reuters reported. “US troops ... are not there to defend Germany. They are there to defend the transatlantic security. ... They are also there to project American power in Africa, in Asia.”