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What’s behind Trump’s decision to cut US troops in Germany?

July 31, 2020

U.S. troops from 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division check military equipment after their deployment to Poland for military exercises in Drawsko Pomorskie training area, Poland March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
  • 1 min read

President Trump announced that he is relocating 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany, a third of U.S. forces there. What’s behind this decision? Does it make strategic sense? Will it help or harm NATO’s deterrence capabilities? And while President Trump has criticized Germany (and other NATO allies) for not yet meeting the agreed-upon 2% of GDP spending target for the alliance, should we broaden the definition of burden sharing? In this episode, guest host Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon and Senior Fellow Constanze Stelzenmüller discuss the issue.

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Authors

Michael O'Hanlon
Michael E. O’Hanlon Director of Research - Foreign Policy, Director - Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Co-Director - Africa Security Initiative, Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy

Constanze Stelzenmüller
Constanze Stelzenmüller Director - Center on the United States and Europe, Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe, Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and Trans-Atlantic Relations

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Foreign Policy

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Europe Germany