The reduction of the US army presence in Europe could reach 30%, Politico reports, citing a NATO official, writes UNN.
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The US is preparing a global force posture review, a broad reassessment of US troop deployments worldwide under the Pentagon's leadership.
Its goal is to reorient American forces in line with changing global priorities, especially rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region and pressure to reduce US overseas spending. The final report is expected to be released by September.
For Europe, this could mean fewer American troops on the continent.
According to Aylin Matle, a senior research fellow on security policy at the German Council on Foreign Relations, one likely outcome of the global force review will be the withdrawal of approximately 20,000 US troops who were sent to Europe in 2022 under then-President Joe Biden after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
However, one NATO official said that "a possible reduction of troops in Europe by up to 30 percent would mean a more significant redistribution."
Germany hosts significantly more American troops than any other country in Europe, with about 35,000 US service members. These include Ramstein Air Base, a central hub for US air operations and satellite communications; Grafenwoehr, which, according to the military, is the largest US Army training area outside the United States, where US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly temporarily served as a soldier, and a key headquarters for service members.
After meeting with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius made it clear that Berlin expects a change in America's position. "I started two years ago to note that at some point it will become clear that the Americans will eventually do less," Pistorius told reporters after their meeting.
But, as the publication notes, there is a lack of clear understanding of what the word "less" actually means. German officials say they aim to be part of the coordination efforts. But they have not been given any firm commitments as to what the US plans to do - or when.
When German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with US President Donald Trump during his first trip to Washington in office, the issue of US troop presence was raised during a press briefing in the Oval Office. When asked if a reduction was being discussed, Trump replied: "I always said that Europe should do more, but Germany is stepping up. We will consider what makes sense in the future."