Trump Says US Reviewing Troop Levels in Germany Amid Feud With Merz Over Iran

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his administration is studying and reviewing a possible reduction of US troops stationed in Germany, with a decision expected in the near term. The announcement came via a Truth Social post in which Trump criticized Germany and other NATO allies for failing to help open the Strait of Hormuz during the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran. The move escalates a public feud between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that has grown sharper as the two governments clash over Iran policy and NATO burden-sharing.

The Details

"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," Trump wrote in the Truth Social post, according to Reuters. The statement was brief but direct, offering no specifics on scale or timeline beyond the assertion that a determination was imminent.

Reuters and the Associated Press both reported the announcement, confirming its authenticity. AP, via NPR, noted that Trump threatened the reduction as part of his continuing dispute with Chancellor Merz over the US-Israel war against Iran — a conflict that has become a point of serious friction between Washington and Berlin.

The feud centers in part on Merz's criticism of the United States' Iran strategy. AP reported that Merz had said the US was being "humiliated" by the Iranian leadership — a characterization that drew a sharp response from the Trump administration. Trump's Truth Social post followed his broader criticism of Germany and other NATO allies for not assisting in efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically vital waterway.

Germany's strategic importance to the US military footprint in Europe makes any troop reduction consequential. As of December 2025, the United States had just over 68,000 active-duty personnel permanently assigned to overseas bases across Europe, with approximately 36,400 of them stationed in Germany, according to Reuters. DW separately confirmed that Germany hosts more than 36,000 US service members, making it the largest single US military presence in Europe.

Despite the public announcement, there was no immediate indication that the review was discussed in formal defense channels. Reuters reported that Germany's top general, Carsten Breuer, met with US defense officials in Washington on the same day Trump made his statement, but the meetings gave no sign that troop reductions were on the agenda in those talks.

Context

Germany's outsized role in US military operations extends well beyond troop numbers. The country hosts Ramstein Air Base, US European Command, US Africa Command, and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center — facilities that serve as critical nodes in American military logistics and command infrastructure across two continents, according to AP via NPR.

This is not the first time Trump has raised the prospect of withdrawing forces from Germany. During his first term, Trump sought to remove approximately 9,500 troops from the country in 2020. That plan was halted before it could be executed and was formally canceled by President Joe Biden in 2021, according to AP via NPR. Trump's return to the same threat signals that the underlying policy impulse has not faded.

The broader backdrop is a widening dispute between Trump and European allies over Iran and NATO burden-sharing. Reuters reported that the current tensions reflect an ongoing disagreement over how much European nations should contribute to collective defense and how closely they should align with Washington's posture on Iran. Germany, under Merz, has been among the more vocal European governments in pushing back on Washington's approach.

What's Next

Trump indicated a decision on troop levels would come within a short period of time, though no specific date or review process was outlined in his Truth Social post, per Reuters. Whether the administration formalizes the review through Pentagon channels or pursues it as a political signal remains unclear from the sourced record.

The diplomatic relationship between Washington and Berlin is likely to remain strained as long as the dispute over Iran policy persists, according to Reuters' reporting on the broader rift between Trump and European allies over NATO burden-sharing. Germany's response to the troop review announcement had not been detailed in the reporting available at the time of publication.