The decision appears to be a form of punishment for Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, after he claimed that Trump had been “humiliated” by Iranian negotiators.
Boris Pistorius, Germany’s Defence Minister, sought to play down the US announcement on Saturday, insisting the move was “foreseeable”.
He added that Germany would continue to “work closely with the Americans, in Ramstein, in Grafenwohr, in Frankfurt and elsewhere, for peace and security in Europe”, referring to several US bases in Germany.
A Nato spokesman said the alliance was working with the US to “understand the details” behind the plan to withdraw thousands of American troops.
“This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defence and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security,” they added, suggesting that the silver lining of Trump’s decision would be deeper European co-operation on defending its borders.
Tens of thousands of US troops are stationed in Germany as a deterrent against Russian aggression, including at the strategically key Ramstein Air Base in the Rhineland region.
Reuters and the New York Times have reported that the Pentagon has also decided not to deploy a long-range missile battalion to Germany, which experts say could have serious consequences for European defence.
Christian Molling, the director of Edina, a security think-tank, said the cancellation of “US-based Long Range Fires” was a more serious problem than the loss of 5000 troops. “Europe … cannot quickly replace this range, mobility and integration,” he said.
While a reduction of 5000 troops would not be a major loss of manpower, the decision by Trump seems to be an attempt to punish European Union leaders, notably Germany’s Chancellor, for criticism of the war in Iran.
This week, Trump launched verbal attacks on Merz over his claims that Tehran had “humiliated” Washington and that the US lacked a clear war strategy.
It was “no wonder” Germany was doing so poorly under the leadership of Merz, the US President seethed as he instructed the US Defence Department to draw up plans for a troop reduction.
Trump has long been a critic of Europe for “freeloading” on military protection at the US taxpayers’ expense and attempted during his first term to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany.
The order to remove the soldiers from Germany was never carried out, but it did alert Berlin and other Nato allies to the risk of the US deciding to pull away from Europe.
The Telegraph understands that Poland, Romania and the Middle East are being discussed as possible locations for the redeployment of the 5000 US soldiers now set to leave Germany.
The US is also looking to increase its military presence in Greenland, the Danish autonomous territory that Trump threatened to invade earlier this year.
There are ongoing discussions between Denmark’s caretaker government and the US on giving the latter access to three additional bases in Greenland under a 1951 defence treaty.
The Danish Defence Ministry has declined to comment, citing ongoing talks on forming a new government since the election in March, in which Mette Frederiksen, the Prime Minister, failed to secure a majority.
