The withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany, as we’ve been reporting today, will take the total back to about the level before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to Department of Defense data, there were 36,436 US military personnel in Germany as of December last year, second only to the numbers in Japan.
The Pentagon did not indicate whether the troops would return to the US or be redeployed elsewhere. A long-range fires battalion that was due to be deployed later this year will be canceled, depriving Germany of the cover of a significant missile capability.
Former President Joe Biden approved the deployment of 7,000 additional US troops to Germany in February 2022, days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The US military presence in Germany peaked during the Cold War, when there were roughly 250,000 forces stationed in West Germany.
Other European countries where significant numbers of active duty US personnel are based include Italy, with more than 12,000, and the UK, with just over 10,000.
There are nearly 4,000 US troops in Spain, but US President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw them over the Spanish government’s refusal to allow bases there to be used in the war with Iran.
Besides playing an important role in the Cold War, US facilities in Europe have served a role in multiple crises in the Middle East.
European countries host US forces at several important air force and naval bases, including the US airbase at Ramstein in Germany, RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom, Aviano in Italy and Lajes Field in the Portuguese Azores.
The headquarters of US European Command and US Africa Command are in Stuttgart, Germany, and there are two facilities that support the US Navy in Naples and Sigonella, Italy.
