Trump Orders Withdrawal of 5,000 US Troops from Germany in Feud with Chancellor Merz

The Pentagon announced the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 US service members from Germany — roughly one-seventh of the 36,000 stationed there — framed as retaliation after Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly criticized US strategy in the Middle East conflict. Trump stated on May 2 that cuts would go 'a lot further than 5,000.' The move represents the most significant reduction in US military presence in Germany since the Cold War drawdown of the 1990s, with major implications for NATO cohesion and Germany's own defense posture. Germany's defense establishment warned the withdrawal would create critical capability gaps in the NATO eastern flank.