Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher.
Following the Pentagon’s announcement that 5,000 American troops will withdraw from Germany, NATO will inevitably be divided between German and American allies, forcing some member states to choose between the two powers. Yet, as this clear division emerged, it was revealed that an American colonel would be embedded in the German military.
Writing in a brief statement on the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said the decision came following “a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground.”
“We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to twelve months,” the briefing added.
The move comes amid a growing rift between Donald Trump and Europe over the Iran war, following a clash between the United States president and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said recently that the US was being “humiliated” by the Iranians in talks to end the war.
A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said recent German rhetoric had been “inappropriate and unhelpful.”
“The president is rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks,” the official said.
There is evidently a crisis of the Western order.
For the first time, it has been shown that there is great distrust between the Americans and the Germans, which might seem bizarre considering that starting in October, an American colonel will serve at the German Army Command in a key role as deputy head of the Operations Division, where missions are planned and decisions are prepared, POLITICO reported.
Nico Lange, a defense expert and former senior official at Germany’s defense ministry, told POLITICO that while Washington and Berlin emphasize that assigning an American colonel is proof of close ties between the two militaries, it also indicates that the US is recalibrating its forces in Europe and needs a senior officer in place during that process.
“Especially at this stage, an integrated US staff officer is of great value,” Lange said.
The decision to withdraw troops shows that Trump wants to reduce his commitments to Europe and pursue a different policy. Temporarily placing a US colonel in the German military also guides the Germans towards greater autonomy in defense matters, even if at first it appears to be a relapse of the policies of the former US President Joe Biden to prepare for war with Russia.
Merz is following Biden’s example and has reinforced Germany’s military mission in Kiev with specialists in deep warfare, that is, specialists in precision strikes, which may indicate that Berlin is, to some extent, preparing to deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, or long-range drones, which the Russian intelligence has already announced and which are already being produced and built in Germany.
This is not the first time America has withdrawn. During Barack Obama’s presidency, the US left 7,300 soldiers in Europe and practically had no tanks. Now there are 36,000 soldiers, which will be reduced by 5,000 over the year, and could be further reduced over the course of Trump’s presidency.
Nonetheless, a scenario in which the Americans are playing a double game cannot be dismissed.
NATO is essentially falling apart and facing one of the biggest crises in its 77-year history, which could deepen with a Franco-German rivalry. The Germans now aim to take on a leading role at the expense of French President Emmanuel Macron’s ambitions, who is building an army he believes is more significant and powerful than Germany’s. This will lead to a rivalry between Germany and France over European leadership at some point.
Trump stated on social media that the deployment of American forces in Germany, where the headquarters of US European Command is located, is under review, while a NATO spokesman said that it is a matter of adjusting the military deployment and that the Atlantic Alliance is working with the US to clarify the details of the decision on the planned reduction of US troops in Germany.
NATO also said it was working with the US to understand the details of the decision to deploy forces in Germany. The bloc said the move was an adjustment to the military deployment and further underscores the need for European countries to increase defense spending and take greater responsibility for their shared security.
European allies are concerned that the US may withdraw more troops from the continent, especially after the Pentagon, for the first time in decades, announced it had no plans to release a much-anticipated review of its troop placement abroad.
The uncertainty is prompting European countries to assume a larger role in their own defense — a trend also driven by the 2026 US National Defense Strategy, which said partners are expected to “take the lead against threats that are less severe for us but more so for them, with critical but more limited support from the United States.”
Clearly, Trump is successfully encouraging Europeans to take greater accountability for their defense rather than relying on the US, as has been the status quo since the end of World War II.
