German Defense Minister Pistorius responds to US troop withdrawal announcement

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius sought to project calm Saturday after the Pentagon announced it would withdraw roughly 5,000 troops from his country, calling the decision "anticipated" and insisting his country is ready to shoulder more of the burden of its defense.

"The presence of American troops in Europe, and particularly in Germany, lies in our interest and in the interest of the US," the defense minister told German news agency dpa. Pistorius added that if Germany was to remain a transatlantic partner, it must work to strengthen the European pillar within NATO.

The Trump administration's announcement Friday that it would withdraw troops from Germany sparked concerns among European allies, raising fresh questions about the durability of the NATO alliance and America's long-term commitment to the continent.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to NPR on Saturday the order had come from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and that it reflected "a thorough review of the Department's force posture in Europe" and conditions on the ground. "We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to twelve months," Parnell said.

The withdrawal would leave more than 30,000 U.S. troops in Germany — reversing a buildup that began under President Biden following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The announcement comes days after Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly said the U.S. was being "humiliated" by Iranian leadership and criticized the U.S. strategy in the war, according to the Associated Press.

The President had attempted a similar reduction during his first term, when he sought to pull about 9,500 troops from Germany in 2020, citing inadequate German defense spending. That effort did not get off the ground and was formally reversed by President Biden shortly after he took office in 2021.

Allison Hart, a NATO spokesperson, posted on X Saturday the alliance was working with the United States to understand the details of the withdrawal, and that the announcement underscored the need for European members to invest more in their own defense.

Germany is already undergoing an historic expansion of its own defense forces in response to that invasion. Under Merz the country is on track to spend the equivalent of more than three percent of GDP on defense by next year — well above NATO's two percent benchmark, according to plans outlined last year.

Trump also indicated this week that he was also weighing troop reductions in Italy and Spain. "Yeah, I probably will…look, why shouldn't I?," Trump told reporters Thursday, singling both countries out for what he described as unhelpful responses to the Iran conflict.

Both Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez have been outspoken critics of American military action in Iran.