US orders withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany

Berlin (dpa) - The US government has ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany. According to the US military, around 39,000 troops are currently stationed in Germany. Germany thus has the second-highest number of US military personnel stationed outside the USA after Japan. Ramstein Air Base (in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate) is one of the most important military bases in Germany. It is the central US Air Force hub for Europe and the Middle East.

Previously, Germany’s Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul had reacted calmly to the first announcements of a partial withdrawal. Ramstein Air Base served “an irreplaceable function for the United States and for us alike,” Wadephul told German news website tagesschau.de. “The USA needs these bases,” explained the minister, saying they served “our security as much as the security of the United States.”