In addition to plans to reduce the number of troops stationed in Germany by 5,000, the United States doesnt even want to provide missiles to Berlin.
According to a report by the American Politico News Network on April 4, the Pentagon plans to cancel the plan to deliver Tomahawk cruise missiles to Germany. The reason for this decision, according to the report, is that the US is concerned that Russia might see this deployment as an indication of an escalating situation. The US Department of Defense has not commented on this matter yet.
According to two European officials and one American official, U.S. officials are concerned that if the Trump administration insists on deploying precision missiles in the heart of Europe, Moscow will take retaliatory measures. However, any decision to stop the delivery process would render this agreement reached during the Biden administration ineffective, leaving Berlin without the defensive capabilities it urgently needs.
Reports indicate that this surprising reversal has overturned a long-planned cooperation agreement between Germany and the United States. The sudden suspension of the deployment of Tomahawk missiles has caused concern among German officials. They are urgently working to modernize their increasingly outdated missile forces in order to withstand Russian threats.
Javelin Cruise Missile – Image from military documentation
In the eyes of the German side, the US has concerns regarding Russias countermeasures. However, its breach of contract actions may also be related to the continuous reduction of its domestic missile inventories. In the early weeks of the war in Iran, the US military used thousands of Tomahawk missiles and Patriot missiles. US Defense Secretary Hagel revealed last month to Congress that it would take months or even years to replenish the ammunition lost during this conflict.
German Prime Minister Merz recently said in an interview with German media that due to a shortage of missiles, he didnt expect the United States to deploy Tomahawk missiles in Germany. In the interview, he said bluntly, The Americans cant even manage themselves properly.
American media further noted that this move by the US is also part of Trumps efforts to reduce NATOs scope of operations. The United States is trying to undermine the close alliances between generations who have served in peacekeeping roles.
This week, during conversations with military leaders from various countries, NATOs Supreme Commander for Europe, and the commander of the U.S. European Command, Greenberger, made it clear his stance. According to reports, he urged Europe to strengthen its deployments both now and in the near future. The United States will also redeploy equipment and troops to other regions around the world.
At this weeks NATO senior-level quarterly meeting, the US also announced further adjustments to its role within NATO. These adjustments include reducing the number of military aircraft, drones, and naval vessels stationed in Europe and America.
An unnamed U.S. Department of Defense official said that it is the main responsibility of the allied nations to bear the burden of maintaining Europes conventional defense. The key is to provide allies with the information and clear instructions they need, so that they can carry out their actions in the fastest and most effective manner possible.
American media reports that Germany is the country most affected by the USs reduction of defense policies.
This spring, after Mertz criticized the U.S. military actions against Iran as strategically insufficient and said that these actions were humiliating for the Iranian leadership, Trump immediately threatened to reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed in Germany. This caused shock among European politicians and Republican defense lawmakers.
On May 1st, local time, officials from the U.S. Pentagon confirmed that plans are in place to withdraw approximately 5,000 American military personnel from Germany. Chief spokesman Sean Pennelly stated that the withdrawal is expected to be completed within the next 6 to 12 months.
Two U.S. Department of Defense officials revealed that the Pentagon has not yet determined the final destination of this group of withdrawing U.S. troops. It is also not yet clear whether these troops will be deployed to other countries in Europe.
March 3, Washington, USA. U.S. President Trump and German Chancellor Merz. IC photo
Currently, Germany hosts approximately 35,000 active U.S. military personnel. This is the largest U.S. military presence in European countries. After this reduction in troops, the number of U.S. military personnel in Germany will drop to the level before the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine.
German officials are generally concerned that if the United States continues to reduce its military presence in Europe, it will force Europe to accelerate efforts to address its weak military capabilities. Moreover, Europes domestic military production capacity cannot meet the demands of increased military deployments. Although drones and low-cost weapons can play a role in supplementing military forces, German defense planners believe that such equipment cannot completely replace long-range missiles of the Tomahawk class.
According to the German Ministry of Defense, in July last year, German Defense Minister Pistorius visited Washington. During his meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Hagel, he proposed to purchase the Typhoon medium-range missile launch system used for launching Tomahawk missiles. However, no further responses from the U.S. have been received to this day.
In an interview with a German public television station last month, Pistorius said helplessly, One and a half years ago, we officially requested from the United States to import, that is, to purchase, the Tomahawk missiles. We are still waiting for a response. But to be honest, given the current world situation, I dont have much hope anymore.
According to US media reports, Mertz previously angered Trump by criticizing U.S. actions in Iraq. It seems that he now intends to mend his relationship with Trump. Later in June, he plans to convene European leaders to develop a plan aimed at improving relations with Trump during the NATO summit scheduled for July.
According to people familiar with the matter, the leaders of the so-called E5 countries (Germany, France, the UK, Italy, and Poland) will meet in Berlin to discuss a series of measures aimed at demonstrating Europes commitment to taking on more defense responsibilities. One of the people familiar with the matter also said that Mertz plans to invite NATO Secretary-General Rütt to this meeting.
However, the United States plans to submit a proposal to its NATO allies in June, aiming to accelerate the withdrawal of some U.S. military personnel from military bases across Europe. According to sources within the Pentagon, Washington will officially announce this accelerated withdrawal plan at the upcoming NATO forces recruitment meeting.
When NATO troops were withdrawn, Washington did not give Europe any buffer period at all. The German newspaper Welt am Sonntag stated that from the perspective of European allies, the time given to them by the United States was very limited. This posed significant risks, as the military foundation behind NATOs collective defense commitments would be weakened.
Lütze refused to provide details regarding the United States plans to reduce military contributions. Last week, he defended these plans, stating that the United States contribution to the NATO force model was under discussion, as the United States cannot be present in all places simultaneously.
