A bipartisan group of senators on Monday introduced a resolution to curb President Trump’s ability to withdraw troops from Germany.
The proposal, led by Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney, would prevent the administration from reducing the number of active duty troops in Germany to less than 34,500, the current number stationed there, unless the Pentagon certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national security interest of the United States and would not adversely affect European alliances or NATO.
Sens. Lindsey Graham, RS.C .; Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; Christopher Coons, D-Del.; Tim Kaine, D-Va .; and Jeanne Shaheen, DN.H., co-sponsor the proposal.
It would also require the defense secretary to confirm that doing so would not harm ongoing operations, would not affect military families, and that the Pentagon has consulted with allies such as Germany and NATO.
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“Withdrawing US troops from Germany would be a gift to Russia, and that is the last thing we should be doing,” Romney said in a statement.
In addition to Romney’s amendment, Graham presented his own proposal to reiterate American support for Germany.
“The presence of the United States military forces in Germany is a strong deterrent against Russian aggression in Europe and strengthens NATO’s capacity,” says the Graham resolution.
Senators aim to include the amendments in the National Defense Authorization Act, a defense policy bill that the Senate will debate next week. Typically, hundreds of amendments to the bill are tabled each year, but only a few go to a floor vote.
In early June, President Trump ordered the Pentagon to withdraw 9,500 troops from the European nation in September, reflecting mounting tensions between Washington and Berlin over military spending and other security issues.
It would also limit the number of American troops in Germany at any time to 25,000. Based on current practice, overall troop levels can increase to 52,000 as units rotate in or out or participate in training exercises.
The decision immediately drew criticism from some former top defense officials and lawmakers concerned that it would further weaken a key alliance and empower American adversaries. Moscow is likely to host the open show of differences between two key NATO allies, US experts said, although Russia had no public comment on the development.
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A senior US official said the administration has been discussing the measure since last September. Then-Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell suggested a troop reduction last August.
“It is actually offensive to assume that the American taxpayer must continue to pay to have more than 50,000 Americans in Germany, but the Germans can spend their surplus on national programs,” Grenell told the German news agency DPA this week, that the United States Embassy later tweeted.
An administration official acknowledged the Wall Street Journal that it reflected the Trump administration’s long frustration with German politics, especially the nation’s level of military spending and its insistence on completing the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will pipe Russian gas directly. to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
Germany was also not happy with the proposal.
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Germany’s defense minister suggested on Monday that Trump’s reported plans to withdraw more than a quarter of US troops from Germany could weaken not only the NATO alliance but also the United States.
