Germany Urges Europe to Strengthen Defence After Planned US Troop Reduction

By  News On Air   May 02, 2026

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius today said that a planned U.S. troop reduction in Germany should push Europe to strengthen its own defences. His remarks follow an announcement by the Pentagon yesterday that the United States would withdraw five thousand soldiers from Germany as tensions over the Iran conflict and trade tariffs further strain US-Europe relations.

Mr Pistorius urged Europe to take greater responsibility for their security, noting Germany is expanding its military and infrastructure. The US military presence in Germany began after World War II and peaked during the Cold War in the 1960s, when hundreds of thousands of American troops were stationed there to counter the Soviet Union.