Trump threatens US troop cuts in Germany
The US has more forces in Germany than anywhere else in Europe.
DW with AP, Reuters
30/04/2026
Donald Trump says the US is considering a "possible reduction" of its forces in Germany just days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US was being "humiliated" by Iran's leadership.
US President Donald Trump has said the United States will shortly decide whether to cut its forces in Germany, where it maintains a major military presence.
"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 posted on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday afternoon, Washington time.
The US has more forces in Germany than anywhere else in Europe.
As of December 2025, more than 36,000 active service members were stationed in Germany, according to the US Defense Manpower Data Center.
This includes personnel at Ramstein in southwestern Germany, regarded as the US's largest overseas air force base.
After Germany, which is home to five of the seven US garrisons in Europe, the United Kingdom and Italy have the biggest presence of US personnel on the continent.
The Ramstein base has also played a pivotal role in US operations in the Middle East
Image: Oliver Dietze/dpa/picture alliance
Why did Merz say Iran was 'humiliating' the US?
In the past months, news outlets have reported on rumors of possible US troop withdrawals from Germany.
However, Trump's Truth Social post comes just days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the US was being "humiliated" by Iran's leadership.
On Monday, Merz said the "Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result.
"An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible."
After Merz's comments, Trump hit back on his Truth Social platform to say that Merz "doesn't know what he's talking about!"
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul later clarified Merz's comments in an interview with DW.
"It was addressing the behavior of Iran," Wadephul told DW's Berlin bureau chief Max Hoffmann in New York City.
"They are, as I said, misunderstanding their position and overplaying their role, so this is what the chancellor said," Wadephul stressed.
Edited by: Zac Crellin
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