Germany urges stronger European defense after US announces troop drawdown
Germany's defense minister responded to the U.S. announcement of withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany by urging Europe to strengthen its own defense capabilities. The move, part of a broader shift in U.S. military posture, has raised concerns among NATO allies and U.S. lawmakers about transatlantic security and deterrence against Russia. The withdrawal, expected within six to twelve months, also includes scrapping a planned long-range missile battalion deployment to Germany.
- ▪The Pentagon announced the withdrawal of about 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany within the next six to twelve months.
- ▪The decision cancels a Biden-era plan to deploy a U.S. battalion with long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany, a move supported by Berlin as a deterrent against Russia.
- ▪German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius stated that Europeans must take more responsibility for their own security, while U.S. Republican lawmakers expressed concern over the reduction in forward presence.
- ▪Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the disintegration of the transatlantic alliance poses a greater threat than external enemies.
- ▪Senator Roger Wicker and Representative Mike Rogers argued that U.S. troops should be moved eastward in Europe, not withdrawn from the continent.
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An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter stands in front of a Galaxy C-5 transport plane at the US Air Base in Ramstein, western Germany, on Feb. 22, 2017. Germany's defence minister on Saturday said the withdrawal of American troops from Germany had been expected and that Europe needed to do more to ensure its own security. The Pentagon announced the withdrawal of about 5,000 troops from Germany within the next year, the latest rift in transatlantic ties over the Mideast war. AFP-YonhapBERLIN — A planned drawdown of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany should spur Europe to strengthen its own defences, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday, but two top U.S.
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