“We are working together with the US to understand their decision regarding force positioning in Germany.” This was stated on Saturday (02/05) by NATO spokesperson Alison Hart, explaining that the North Atlantic Alliance is working with the United States to understand the details of their decision to reduce American troops in Germany. It should be noted that yesterday, Friday (01/05), the Pentagon announced the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 American soldiers from Germany within one year. This decision was made amid tensions between Trump and Friedrich Merz, as well as other European allies of Washington in NATO, regarding the war against Iran.
NATO: This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue investing more in defense
Specifically, Hart stated via social media post: “We are working together with the US to understand their decision regarding force positioning in Germany. This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defense and take on a greater share of responsibility for our shared security — where we already see progress since Allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP [in defense] at last year’s NATO Summit in The Hague”.
“We remain confident in our ability to ensure deterrence and defense as this shift toward a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO continues,” she added.
We are working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany. 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 – where we’re…
— NATO Spokesperson (@NATOpress) May 2, 2026
Berlin’s reaction to the withdrawal of 5,000 American soldiers
“The presence of American soldiers in Europe and especially in Germany is in our interest and that of the US,” said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, responding to the Pentagon’s announcement that it will withdraw approximately 5,000 American military personnel from Germany, according to Reuters news agency.
This is Berlin’s first reaction following the Pentagon’s announcement of withdrawing approximately 5,000 American military personnel from Germany, representing about 15% of the forces present in the country, a measure announced after American President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure with statements by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that Iran is “humiliating” the US in negotiations to end the war. Boris Pistorius also stated that “it was expected that the US would withdraw its troops from Europe, including Germany. We Europeans must take greater responsibility for our security. Germany is strengthening its armed forces, procuring more equipment at faster rates, and building further infrastructure”.
Concluding, the German Defense Minister noted that: “For all future missions, we will work closely with our allies, for example within the framework of the group of five, which includes Britain, France, Poland and Italy”.
