While Donald Trump wanted to withdraw 12,000 soldiers from Germany, which has earned many critics even among the ranks of the Republicans, the new administration is planning to revise these plans.
According to the German Der Spiegel, Trump’s critics suspected a clear message behind the action in the summer of 2020: the American president wanted to punish the Germans because, in his opinion, they did not participate financially enough in NATO. The fact that he has a tepid relationship with Chancellor Angela Merkel may have played a role as well. In any case, the US President announced at the time that he wanted to withdraw huge numbers of troops from Germany.
Now Trump himself must leave and official duties are transferred to his successor, Joe Biden.
At a Senate nomination hearing, future US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Biden had ordered a comprehensive analysis of the presence of US troops overseas.
“The ability of American forces in Europe to contain Russia should be part of this analysis”, – the retired general explained.
“I want this review to also consider the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw significant numbers of American soldiers from Germany.”