NewzVille Desk
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has criticized Germany and other NATO allies for not sending their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz, said on Truth Social that his administration is considering reducing the number of U.S. troops stationed in Germany.
The U.S. had just over 68,000 active-duty military personnel assigned permanently in its overseas bases in Europe as of December 2025, according to data from the U.S. Defense Manpower Data Center.
More than half—about 36,400—are based in Germany. This is a fraction of the 250,000 U.S. troops stationed there in 1985, before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.
Trump has been sparring with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war in Iran in recent days. On Tuesday, he said Merz did not know what he was talking about after the German leader said the Iranians were humiliating the U.S. in talks to end the two-month-old war. Merz on Wednesday said relations with Trump were good, despite the row.
Trump has long been critical of Germany and other European countries for failing to spend more on their own defense, although he lauded NATO members’ decision to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP.
Tensions flared again after NATO allies refused to give Trump the support he demanded for the war against Iran, which Trump launched together with Israel without consulting or informing them. His desire to acquire Greenland from NATO member Denmark, which has been firmly rebuffed, has also strained ties at the political level.
However, U.S. and German military officials said their working relationship remains strong despite Trump’s sporadic social media posts about quitting NATO or cutting troop levels.
