Germany Still Waiting for US to Inform Them of Troop Cuts

German DM warns cuts would hurt NATO security

Last week’s announcement of 9,500 US troops being withdrawn from Germany continues to be a topic of discussion in Germany, though the German government says they haven’t heard a word yet from the US on this plan, and are just basing it on media reports.

This is likely to be seen as another sign that US relations with Germany are strained, and they aren’t communicating to the point where major changes directly related to the two of them aren’t even discussed until well after they’ve broken in the press.

German DM Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer warned that the troop cuts would further harm NATO. She’s one of a few German officials opposed to the US cuts, while other officials vary between ambivalence and seeing it as a good opportunity to be rid of the US presence.

US officials have largely not addressed this since last week’s announcement, and it’s not clear why they haven’t contacted Germany about it at all. Either way, the big focus in Europe will likely be where the US troops will be going, with Poland really hoping to get them.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.