Trump says U.S. may cut the number of American troops in Germany

Politics Trump says U.S. may cut the number of American troops in Germany By Joe Walsh Joe Walsh Senior Editor, Politics Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston. Read Full Bio Joe Walsh April 29, 2026 / 7:38 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google President Trump said Wednesday he is considering reducing the number of U.S. forces in Germany, amid a spat with Germany's chancellor and the NATO alliance over Iran. "The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time," he wrote on Truth Social. The U.S. military has a massive presence in Germany that dates back to the aftermath of World War II and the Cold War. More than 36,000 active duty troops were assigned to bases throughout Germany as of last December, along with nearly 1,500 reservists and 11,500 civilians, according to Defense Department figures. Japan is the only foreign country with a larger presence of U.S. troops. Germany is also home to the headquarters of U.S. European Command and Africa Command, and its Ramstein Air Base is a key hub for U.S. operations.The president has grown increasingly frustrated with the U.S.'s allies in Europe, which have sought to keep their distance from the U.S.-Iran war. He has threatened to leave NATO, calling the alliance a "paper tiger" for not entering the war. A 2023 law prevents the president from withdrawing the U.S. from NATO without approval from Congress.Meanwhile, Europe is grappling with higher energy prices as the Iran conflict severely constrains oil exports from the Middle East.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz appeared to draw Mr. Trump's ire after he criticized the U.S.'s handling of the war earlier this week, saying "the Americans clearly have no strategy" on Iran and suggesting the U.S. is being "humiliated" by Iranian negotiators. On Tuesday, Mr. T...