Armed Services Republicans 'very concerned' about US troops withdrawal from Germany
Source: The Hill
05/02/26 12:12 PM ET
The chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Service committees on Saturday expressed they are very concerned about the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany amid President Trumps feud with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Trump on Wednesday had announced that he was reviewing a possible reduction of U.S. troops in Germany.
We are very concerned by the decision to withdraw a U.S. brigade from Germany, the chairs, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), said in a joint statement. Germany has stepped up in response to President Trumps call for greater burden sharing, significantly increasing defense spending and providing seamless access, basing, and overflight for U.S. forces in support of Operation Epic Fury.
Wicker and Rogers said that prematurely reducing the U.S. military presence in Europe sends the wrong signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin. They argue that an assessment on permitting European allies to assume primary responsibility, as they move toward spending 5% of GDP on defense
will take time.
The chairmen suggested that rather than removing the troops out of Europe entirely, they should be forwarded to the east. They also insisted that significant changes to the U.S.s posture in Europe demands a deliberate review process.
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5860717-house-senate-armed-services-germany/
REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143659229
Midnight Writer
(25,643 posts)patphil
(9,175 posts)So very concerned that they might actually do something. But then, not actually all that concerned.
Xipe Totec
(44,576 posts)bucolic_frolic
(55,605 posts)These two rattle brains can't figure it out, or refuse to acknowledge it.
pat_k
(13,728 posts)Not that the people who have co-opted the Executive Branch or the trumpublicans in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate bother to concern themselves with pesky details like U.S. Code or the authorizations they've passed/signed into law, but the felon-in-chief is prohibited from such unilateral actions by the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, Public Law 119-60.
(a) Prohibition on Use of Funds.--Until the date that is 60 days after the date on which the Commander of the United States European Command and the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, have each, independently, submitted to the congressional defense committees the certification described in subsection (b) and the applicable assessment described in subsection (c), none of the amounts authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 may be obligated or expended--(1) to reduce the total number of members of the Armed Forces permanently stationed in or deployed to the area of responsibility of the United States European Command below 76,000 for longer than a 45-day period;
(2) to divest, consolidate, or otherwise return to a host country any parcel of land or facility located on real property under the jurisdiction of the United States European Command as of June 1, 2025;
(3) to divest, redeploy, withdraw, or otherwise permanently move out of the area of responsibility of the United StatesEuropean Command any Department of Defense equipment or physical property with an initial purchase value of more than $500,000 and positioned in such area of responsibility as of June 1, 2025; or
(4) to relinquish the role of the Commander of the United States European Command as North Atlantic Treaty Organization Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
(b) Certification Described.--The certification described in this subsection is a certification by the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Commander of the United States European Command, the Secretary of State, and the Director of National Intelligence, to the congressional defense committees that, as applicable, a reduction of the total number of members of the Armed Forces permanently stationed in or deployed to the area of responsibility of the United States European Command below 76,000, the divestment, consolidation, or return to a host country of any site on the real property inventory of the United States European Command as of June 1, 2025, the divestment, redeployment, withdrawal, or otherwise permanent moving of equipment or property described in subsection (a)(3), or the relinquishment of the role of the Commander of the United States European Command as NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe--(1) is in the national security interest of the United States; and
(2) is being undertaken only after appropriate consultations with all North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies and relevant non-NATO partners.
(c) Assessment Described...
tanyev
(49,508 posts)50 Shades Of Blue
(11,489 posts)Ford_Prefect
(8,642 posts)Miguelito Loveless
(5,848 posts)But will go along with it anyway. Susan Collins should sue for plagiarism.