The Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees criticized on Saturday President Donald Trump’s move to withdraw 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, amid a feud with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) released a joint statement saying they were “very concerned” over the Trump administration’s Friday announcement that 5,000 troops would be withdrawn from Germany. In the statement, the duo praised Merz’s role in boosting Germany’s defense spending and providing limited logistical support for U.S. forces in Operation Epic Fury.
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“The reality remains that even as allies move toward spending 5% of GDP on defense, translating that investment into the military capability needed to assume primary responsibility for conventional deterrence will take time,” the chairmen said. “Prematurely reducing America’s forward presence in Europe before those capabilities are fully realized risks undermining deterrence and sending the wrong signal to Vladimir Putin.”
The two urged Trump to send the 5,000 troops further east towards the border with Russia, and to coordinate with Congress.
The Department of War announced the withdrawal on Friday and didn’t provide a direct explanation.
“This decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to twelve months.”
Trump had previously threatened to punish NATO allies who refused to assist the U.S. in its war with Iran, and Germany became a natural first candidate after Merz publicly claimed that Iran was “humiliating” the U.S.
US TO CUT 5,000 TROOPS FROM GERMANY AMID TRUMP FEUD WITH MERZ
“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” Merz told pupils at Carolus-Magnus-Gymnasium in Marsberg, Germany. “An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards.”
The open criticism from two Republican congressmen is particularly rare during Trump’s second term, when few in either chamber have dared to publicly challenge the president.
