Mac Thornberry’s representative, the top Republican on the panel, joined the other 21 Republicans on the committee in urging Trump not to significantly reduce the number of US troops in Germany.
The letter came after a defense official told CNN last week that the White House had requested a large reduction in US military personnel stationed in the country. The official said that the exact size of the reduction had not yet been decided but the 9,500 cut was the current interim planning figure. A formal order to start moving troops has not been given but is expected soon.
There are around 34,000 US troops currently stationed in Germany.
“We strongly believe that NATO allies, like Germany, must do more to contribute to our joint defense efforts. At the same time, we also know that the deployment of American troops since the end of World War II has helped prevent another world war and, which most importantly, has helped make America safer, “the MP wrote.
“In Europe, the threat posed by Russia has not diminished, and we believe that the signs of weakening US commitment to NATO will encourage further Russian aggression and opportunism. In addition, the overall limit of troops will prevent us from doing the training necessary for training and the readiness of our troops and our allies, “they added.
“The troop limit will also significantly reduce the number of US troops that can flow through Germany to be placed in bases around the world, which causes serious logistical challenges,” the letter wrote.
While defense officials have considered moving troops from Germany in the past, US and NATO officials told CNN last week that the size and timing of the reduction was unexpected.
This is not the first time that Trump has clashed with congressional Republicans on military matters, due to the isolationist tendency of the President to break up with typical Republican foreign policy. Republicans Congress urged him to avoid withdrawing all US troops from Afghanistan, for example, and criticized his decision last year to withdraw US troops from Syria.
Republicans also encouraged Trump to remain committed to NATO even though he had railed against the alliance for years, complaining that European countries were not paying enough to support NATO. In particular, Trump has been critical of Germany for not meeting NATO’s 2% defense spending target.
Rep. Republican Wyoming from Liz Cheney said in a statement Tuesday that withdrawing US troops from Germany “would be a serious mistake” that would “undermine our national security.”
“The American presence in the future has never been as important as today, because our country faces threats to freedom and security throughout the world posed by Russia and the Communist Party Vladimir Putin. Our presence abroad is very important to deter these enemies, strengthen alliances, maintain peace through force, and maintain American leadership, “he said.
“Withdrawing our troops and leaving our allies will have big consequences, embolden our enemies and make war more – no less – a possibility,” Cheney added.
The US military has stationed troops in Germany since the end of the Second World War and their presence on the front lines of the Cold War helped prevent the Soviet Union from launching attacks on NATO members.
While the number of US troops in Germany has declined in recent years, US bases in the country continue to be used by the military because of their strategic location and the presence of US defense infrastructure such as air bases and medical facilities.
