Does United States Need to Keep 35,400 Soldiers in Germany?

NOTE HISTORICAL: At the conclusion of World War II, the total U.S. Army strength in Europe was almost 1.9 million, a number that was brought down to 79,000 by 1949. As the Cold War heated up that very year so did the buildup of American forces in Europe. By 1952 there were over 257,000 military personnel stationed throughout Europe. At the height of the Cold War in 1962 when the Berlin Wall went up, more than 400,000 U.S. forces were stationed across 100 communities on the European continent. That force was slashed by two-thirds after the Berlin Wall fell, to an average of 109,452 troops per year during 1996 and 2000 throughout Europe.

Army Europe, Headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany reports that there are approximately 38,000 U.S. Army Soldiers, 11,000 Department of the Army civilians and 13,000 local nationals assigned and deployed throughout Europe, with the largest contingency in Germany.

The Debate:

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the White House had directed the Pentagon to cut at least 9,500 troops from Germany by September. The directive, signed by national security adviser Robert O’Brien, also requires the Pentagon to cap the number of troops there at 25,000.

Immediate reactions to the draw down of troops were mixed, to include that of the Dutch Minister as quoted by DW news:

“While other politicians have slammed a rumored 9,500 US-troop exit from Germany, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says Berlin will simply “take note of” Donald Trump’s plan. He admitted that US-German ties were “complicated.”

Congress of the United States

House of Representatives House Armed Services Committee Member Mack Thornberry weighed in on behalf of more members of the House:

“we are very concerned about reports that the Administration is considering a significant reduction of U.S. troops currently based in Europe as well as a cap on the total number of U.S. troops which can be present there at any one time. We believe that such steps would significantly damage U.S. national security as well as strengthen the position of Russia to our detriment.

“We strongly believe that NATO allies, such as Germany, should do more to contribute to our joint defense efforts. At the same time, we also know that the forward stationing of American troops since the end of World War II has helped to prevent another world war and, most importantly, has helped make America safer.

“In Europe, the threats posed by Russia have not lessened, and we believe that signs of a weakened U.S. commitment to NATO will encourage further Russian aggression and opportunism. In addition, the overall limit on troops would prevent us from conducting the exercises that are necessary for the training and readiness of our forces and those of our allies. The troop limit would also significantly reduce the number of U.S. forces that can flow through Germany for deployment to bases around the world, causing serious logistical challenges.

“Over 75 years of investments and of sacrifices have led to NA TO being the most successful alliance in history. But its work is not done. While we should continue to work to improve NATO and to spread its costs more equitably, we believe that our continued strong involvement in the alliance is fundamental to our nation’s security and integral to protecting our people. Withdrawals and limitations of the kind being reported would make that job more difficult.”