The White House is considering relocating thousands of U.S. troops from Germany to the Pacific, a national security adviser told Stars & Stripes.
The move is an attempt to strengthen America’s numbers in the Indo-Pacific, where the U.S. maintains a military presence in Guam, Hawaii, Alaska and Japan, as well as deployments in locations like Australia, in order to counter Russia and China.
Per The Wall Street Journal, White House officials have already ordered a reduction of about 9,500 troops from U.S. military bases in Germany.
President Donald Trump on June 15 confirmed the plan to pull some troops out of Germany over concerns that leaders of the European power aren’t spending enough on their own national defense.
“They owe NATO billions and they know it,” Trump recently said of Germany. “Why should we be doing what we’re doing if they don’t pay?”
Members of Congress and NATO officials have expressed opposition to the plan, arguing that the U.S. presence in Europe is essential for projecting America’s power abroad.
“My message was the U.S. presence in Europe was good for Europe, but also good for North America and the United States,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last week.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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