The United States has been reassessing the force strength our military maintains around the world, under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in President Trump’s second term, and it is now acting on that review, according to new reporting on Friday:
President Trump ordered the Pentagon on Friday to withdraw about 5,000 U.S. service members from Germany amid his public feud with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The redeployment of troops will bring the number of service members roughly to pre-2022 levels and will affect a brigade combat team and potentially other U.S. forces already in Germany, according to a senior Pentagon official.
This comes after Sec. Hegseth brought some other European-based servicemebers – who had been helping NATO brigades – back to the U.S. in late Oct. 2025. At the time, U.S. European Command issued a statement, waving away any critique of the move as a withdrawal of American military might by the leader of the free world:
[This] “is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO and Article 5.
“Rather this is a positive sign of increased European capability and responsibility. Our NATO allies are meeting President Trump’s call to take primary responsibility for the conventional defense of Europe.”
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Here’s a look at where most U.S. troops are stationed, as of last Dec.:
The U.S. military has a massive presence in Germany dating back to the aftermath of World War II and the Cold War. More than 36,000 active duty troops were assigned to bases throughout Germany as of last December, along with nearly 1,500 reservists and 11,500 civilians, according to Defense Department figures.
Japan is the only foreign country with a larger presence of U.S. troops.
Germany is also home to the headquarters of U.S. European Command and Africa Command, and its Ramstein Air Base is a key hub for U.S. operations.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell released a statement, quoted in reports linked above, stating that the administration’s move “follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground.”
He added that the withdrawal will take place over the next six to 12 months.
This is a developing story. RedState will provide more information as it becomes available.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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