About 35,000 Americans are still stationed at various U.S. locations in Germany. At the height of the Cold war, there were almost ten times as many. However, U.S. President Donald Trump wants to reduce the American troop presence in the country of his ancestors to nearly 10,000. So it is, so far, only in media reports based on US government representatives.
In Berlin, government spokesman Steffen Seibert saw no reason to respond at all to the fact: “If there is official information, then we can take a position on it. Pure media reports are, for us, is no reason.” Seibert also what does his Boss, Chancellor Angela Merkel, in such cases: Instead of the alleged threat, because it’s nice to see the majority of politicians – to reply sharply, he praised the work of U.S. troops “in the framework of the Alliance, to ensure our safety”.
“Colossal error,”
Also, if even on Tuesday still nothing Official from Washington, urge, brought down the message of the policy in Berlin in bright excitement. The Christian Democrat Peter Beyer, coordinator for transatlantic relations, writes, such a troop withdrawal would undermine “the pillars of the transatlantic relations”. His party colleague Johann Wadephul in trump’s alleged announcement of a further Wake-up call that Europe should rely on military and more on themselves. The same action calls for the SPD Faction leader Rolf hat. But while many politicians are complaining more or less open about Trumps unpredictability, warns FDP-fraction Deputy Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, to the thread of the conversation, not tear it down.
criticism of Trump itself comes from the American military side – of a, with exactly these security issues very familiar. The former commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces in Europe, Ben Hodges, who was stationed prior to his Retirement in the Hessian town of Wiesbaden, warned in a Tweet, a deduction would be a “colossal mistake” and a “gift” to the Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The US-troops in Europe to protect German,” said his Tweet. As part of the NATO, it was their task “to protect all members, including the United States.”
And Colin Powell Trumps his own Republican party even put a. The former chief of the General staff and the foreign Minister, lashed out at Trump, the alleged troop withdrawal is part of a policy, which “will virtually anyone in the world” against America. This is not in the interest of the United States. Powell has announced to vote in the upcoming presidential election for Joe Biden of the Democrats.
bases in Germany for the United States in a strategically important
It is not the first Time that Trump Germany threatens with a withdrawal of troops because of American protection benefit, without the allegedly self-sufficient for defense spending. Poland, by contrast, is a percentage far higher arms budget correctly – so it looks the Trump. Poland, he wants to reward therefore. A year ago, he brought on a visit of the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda in Washington to the relocation of US troops from Germany to Poland into the game; Duda wanted to call such a vertex even, thanks to “continued Trump.”
With a transfer threatened, a little later, Richard Grenell, in the meanwhile, after Washington returned U.S. Ambassador to Germany. The Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said now, he hope that a part of US soldiers, if they should leave Germany, would be transferred to his country.
if it is my Trump is actually serious, would be to implement the Plan but it is not only a highly controversial political Signal, but also logistically difficult. Because the US bases in Germany are not any. From the airport of Ramstein in Rhineland-Palatinate operations start, for example, in the Middle East and to Afghanistan. From headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany from the Americans to coordinate their forces in Europe and Africa. The U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl at Ramstein is the largest of its kind outside of the USA. And even if the number of soldiers was already very, Germany is still the country with the most U.S. soldiers in Europe, and plays for the entire strategic interests of the United States in the world have a crucial role.
in addition, Would actually laid larger US organizations to Poland, you would understand that Russia, as a tremendous provocation and react accordingly. No one in NATO would have an interest in it.
Maybe there is no Plan
But why Trump has pronounced then supposedly his threat? Is it because Merkel does not want to travel to the G7 summit in the United States and, thus, Trump has snubbed? The conjecture, for example, the CDU foreign policy expert, Jürgen Hardt, and Jürgen Trittin of the Green. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said once again, Merkel’s cancellation had no political reasons: “The Chancellor had said that she would like to thank you for the invitation at the end of June for the G7 summit, that you accept but due to the pandemic situation is not the overall look in the location, your personal appearance in Washington.”
The former Ambassador and Trump-Familiar Richard Grenell, meanwhile, has speculation as “gossip,” dismissed, he had urged Trump to a troop reduction. Grenell was went often unusually sharp, with the Federal government to court, especially in the question of defence expenditure. He said now, on demand, the Plan was “since last year, in work”.
Whether there is this Plan at all, that is the question. Because even after four days, wants to confess, neither anyone in the White house and in the Pentagon to do so.
Possible so that everything is just an empty threat, and a deduction is not coming is? The former US Ambassador to Germany, John Kornblum said at least, in a newspaper interview. And Edgar Knobloch, the base of the mayor of the Bavarian town of Grafenwöhr, is also an important US, is allowed. There shall be no removal, he believes, on the contrary: “Grafenwöhr is gaining in importance.” The Americans would last even upgraded the site technically. And also, US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said during his visit half a year ago none of the trigger.
author: Christoph Hasselbach
*The post “U.S. troops withdrawal only an empty threat?” published by Deutsche Welle. Contact with the executives here.
Deutsche Welle
