The United States has declared that it would pull out almost 12,000 soldiers and military personnel Germany, in a move US President Donald Trump said was meant to punish the "delinquent" NATO member state for not allocating enough funding on defense.
Last month, Trump announced his plant to slash the 36,000-strong U.S. troop deployment in Germany by around 30 percent, faulting the country for failing to reach the alliance's budget goal and accusing it of taking advantage of the U.S. on trade.
The troop withdrawal will cut the U.S. military contingent in Germany from 36,000 to 24,000. Around 5,600 troops will be transferred to other NATO countries and 6,400 will be sent back to the U.S. with the moves to commence as soon as in a few weeks, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper disclosed on Wednesday.
Last month, Trump ordered that 9,500 soldiers be pulled out from Germany, but Esper said the overall gameplan requires the withdrawal and repositioning of 11,900, slashing the number of U.S. service personnel in Germany to about 24,000.
Esper said the rest of the troops will be repositioned in other NATO countries like Poland, the Baltic states, and the Black Sea region to transition NATO's force posture more to the east.
The U.S. decision to withdraw attracted criticism from both sides of Congress, including from Texas Representative Mac Thornberry, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, who called Trump's move "troubling." For Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, the Trump administration's plan is a "grave error."
In a June letter, Thornberry along with other Republicans on the panel warned Trump about potential Russian aggression in the midst of planned troop pullout.
As part of the revamp, which is seen to cost billions of dollars, the United States European Command Headquarters and Special Operations Command Europe will also be transferred to Belgium, from Stuttgart. Germany's Defense Ministry did not issue any comment on the decision, stating the proposals required to be discussed internally first.
The military personnel shakeup will also require the construction of new combat facilities in both Europe and the U.S. Some of the moves could take years to carry out, suggesting that the proposal could be changed if Trump loses in the election.
Meanwhile, Esper said an undetermined number of combat squadron and elements of a fighter unit stationed in Germany will be moved to Italy. In addition, the Army's newly established 5th Corps headquarters is set to be transferred to Poland, and other units are being planned for stationing in the country, and the Baltic states, Esper stated.
