Nato seeks to ‘understand the details’ after US decision to withdraw troops from Germany

Nato is seeking to “understand the details” of a US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, a redeployment ordered by Donald Trump in the midst of a feud with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz.

The German government sought to play down the severity of Trump’s move, describing it as “anticipated”, and a reminder of Europe’s need to invest in its own defence. The US withdrawal, which the Pentagon said would take place over the next six to twelve months, comes after criticism from Merz over Trump’s war with Iran and his handling of subsequent talks with Tehran.

The chancellor said on Monday the US was being “humiliated” by Iran’s leaders. Trump quickly responded, saying Merz “doesn’t know what he’s talking about”, and soon after raised the possibility of troop withdrawals.

The Nato spokesperson, Allison Hart, said on Saturday that the alliance was “working with the US to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany”.

The remarks suggested the announcement of the withdrawal was an unilateral act, with little or no coordination with Washington’s European allies.

“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,” Hart said on social media, noting Nato allies had made progress since agreeing last year to invest 5% of GDP in defence to meet the growing threat from Russia.

A German defence ministry spokesperson said the planned US withdrawal from bases in Germany demonstrated “we must strengthen the European pillar within Nato”.

“It was anticipated the US might withdraw troops from Europe, including Germany,” the spokesperson said, estimating the current US troop strength in Germany at 40,000.

US officials have suggested an army brigade combat team already deployed in Germany would be withdrawn and the planned deployment of a long-range artillery battalion to the country would be cancelled, with other troops potentially being involved.

According to the US Defense Manpower Data Center, there were 68,000 active-duty military personnel assigned permanently in bases in Europe. Further withdrawals could trigger a conflict with the US Congress which, last year, stipulated that troop strength in Europe must not fall below 76,000.

Congress set the benchmark after the withdrawal of a brigade last year from Romania, with both parties issuing a joint statement demanding a rigorous evaluation before any other “significant changes to our warfighting structure”.