The Pentagon announced it will withdraw approximately 5,000 United States troops from Germany over the next six to twelve months. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said the US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany was "foreseeable."

A Pentagon spokesman said the withdrawal order came from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The 5,000 troops represent 14% of the approximately 36,000 American service members stationed in Germany, where current US troop strength is estimated at about 40,000. The US military deployment in Germany is the largest in Europe, compared with about 12,000 troops in Italy and 10,000 in the United Kingdom.

Germany hosts several US military facilities, including the headquarters of its European and Africa commands, Ramstein Air Base and a medical center in Landstuhl. The US also has nuclear missiles stationed in the country.

Speaking to DPA news agency, Pistorius said that the presence of American soldiers in Europe, and particularly in Germany, is in the interest of both Germany and the United States.

Two senior US lawmakers, Senator Roger Wicker and Representative Mike Rogers, said they were "very concerned by the decision to withdraw a US brigade from Germany." In a joint statement, they said, "Rather than withdrawing forces from the continent altogether, it is in the US interest to maintain a strong deterrent in Europe."

Nato spokeswoman Allison Hart said the alliance is "working with the US to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany." Writing on X, she said the withdrawal "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." Hart said Nato allies were already seeing progress since agreeing last year to invest 5% of GDP in defence at the Nato summit in The Hague.

Germany is projected to spend €105.8 billion on defence in 2027, with defence expenditure set to reach 3.1% of GDP, including other defence funds and continuing aid to Ukraine. Germany has boosted its military spending in recent years, expanding its armed forces, procuring more equipment, focusing on innovation and building more infrastructure.

Last year, Washington reduced its troop presence in Romania as part of a plan to shift the focus of US military commitment from Europe to the Indo-Pacific region. According to the US Defense Manpower Data Center, there were 68,000 active-duty military personnel permanently assigned to bases in Europe, while Congress stipulated last year that troop strength in Europe must not fall below 76,000.