Trump Says He’s Cutting U.S. Troops in ‘Delinquent’ Germany

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he plans to cut the number of U.S. troops stationed in Germany to 25,000, until Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government increases defense spending.

“Germany’s delinquent. They’ve been delinquent for years,” he told reporters at the White House on Monday in the first official confirmation of a move that was reported earlier this month. “They owe NATO billions of dollars and they have to pay it.”

“Until they pay,” Trump added, “we’re removing a number of our soldiers, by about half.”

Trump has had a tense relationship with Merkel and long complained that Germany doesn’t contribute enough to Europe’s defense. The country does not meet a NATO target that calls for members of the alliance to spend at least 2% of gross domestic product on defense.

The troop withdrawal is just the latest evidence of deteriorating relations between the two countries. Merkel and Trump have sparred repeatedly over issues from international trade to defense strategy. They have also taken divergent paths to combating the coronavirus. Last month, Markel snubbed the U.S. president’s plan to hold an in-person Group of Seven summit in June.

There was no immediate reaction from Merkel’s office or senior government officials. Johann Wadephul, a deputy leader of Merkel’s parliamentary caucus, questioned Trump’s decision.

“How can the leader of the western world be proud to weaken NATO by withdrawing military forces from the central European ground?” he asked in a tweet.

Norbert Walter-Borjans, the co-leader of the Social Democrats, told N-TV the decision is another example of Trump’s America First policy. Normally the U.S. president would discuss such an issue with his allies before taking action, he said. “It’s rather annoying,” he added.

Trump also repeated a complaint about German purchases of energy from Russia as the U.S. continues to oppose the Nord Stream 2 pipeline intended to transport Russian natural gas to Europe.

He also said that Germany treated the U.S. “very badly” in their commercial relations. He added that his administration is negotiating with the European Union on trade, “but right now I’m not satisfied with the deal they want to make.”

The U.S. troop strength in Germany has dwindled to about 34,500 from a peak of 274,000 during the 1960s, but the numbers can vary widely depending on military exercises and troop transfers. In his comments Monday, Trump estimated the U.S. presence at about 52,000, a figure that may include Department of Defense civilian employees.

The ultimate impact on the country’s security is seen as limited. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said last week that the biggest blow would be to the people involved.

German-American cooperation is “the basis on which many American soldiers have become a real element within German society, have been well integrated in communities, and play an important role,” she said.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.