Spurred on by President Donald Trump’s demand to pull troops out of Germany, the U.S. will bring about 6,400 forces home and shift about 5,600 to other countries in Europe, U.S. defense leaders said Wednesday, detailing a Pentagon plan that will cost billions of dollars and take years to complete. The decision fulfills Trump’s announced desire to withdraw troops from Germany, largely due to its failure to spend enough on defense. A number of forces will go to Italy, and a major move would shift U.S. European Command headquarters and Special Operations Command Europe from Stuttgart, Germany, to Belgium. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said some moves will begin in months and will leave about 24,000 troops in Germany. He said that while the decision was “accelerated” by Trump’s orders, the moves also promote larger strategic goals to deter Russia, reassure European allies and shift forces further east into the Black Sea and Baltic regions. Trump, however, reasserted his very narrow reason Wednesday, telling reporters, “We’re reducing the force because they’re not paying their bills. It’s very simple. They’re delinquent.” He added that he might rethink the decision to pull troops out of Germany “if they start paying their bills.” Trump has repeatedly accused Germany of failing to pay bills, which is a misstatement of the issue. NATO nations have pledged to dedicate 2% of their gross domestic product to defense spending by 2024, and Germany is still short of that goal, at about 1.4%. Esper said the military moves will cost in the “single digit” billions of dollars. Much of it will require congressional approval to add or reallocate funds, something that may be difficult since many lawmakers have expressed opposition to some of the moves. And it’s also unclear if the plan would survive if Trump is not reelected in November. Members of Trump’s own political party have criticized the troop moves as a gift to Russia and a threat to U.S. national security. Twenty-two Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee sent a letter to Trump saying a reduced U.S. commitment to Europe’s defense would encourage Russian aggression. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, on Wednesday called the plan a “grave error,” saying it’s a slap in Germany’s face that will do lasting harm to American interests. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, meanwhile, welcomed the U.S. move and said Washington has been consulting allies on the matter recently. Trump’s announcement on the withdrawal in June blindsided the alliance. Germany’s Defense Ministry refused to comment on the moves, saying the plans needed to be discussed internally first. Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended Germany’s defense spending, saying that it has increased and that the country will continue to work toward the 2% benchmark. Following the announcement, a lawmaker with the opposition Left Party, which has its roots in the former East German communist party and has long urged the withdrawal of American troops, said the plan was “far from sufficient.” “Wars are waged all over the world through the U.S. bases in Germany, including drone attacks that violate international law,” said Tobias Pflueger, deputy party leader with the Left. The Pentagon announcement is closely tied to the plan to increase the U.S. troop presence in Poland, a shift long desired by Warsaw and Polish President Andrzej Duda. Officials said the troops moves […]

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