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The Pentagon analyzes the cost and the impact of a large-scale withdrawal or transfer of US troops stationed in Germany, amid growing tensions between President Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to people close to work. The effort follows Trump's expression of interest in withdrawing troops, made at a meeting earlier this year with the White House and military aides, officials said. US. Trump would have been surprised by the magnitude of the US presence, which has about 35,000 men on active duty, and complained that other countries were not contributing equitably to common security or were not paying enough for the military. # 39; NATO.
alarmed European officials, who are struggling to determine whether Trump actually intends to reposition US forces or whether it's just a tactic of negotiation before a NATO summit to Brussels, where Trump risks criticizing US allies for what he considers to be insufficient
United States Officials, who spoke of the condition of anonymity to comment on the unpublished effort , stressed that the exercise is limited to an internal exploration of options. Senior military officers are not yet involved, and the Pentagon has not been instructed to determine how to execute an option.
A spokesman for the National Security Council in the White House said in a statement that the NSC had not requested an analysis of the Defense Department on the repositioning of troops in Germany. But "the Pentagon is continually evaluating US troop deployments," the statement said, and such "analytical exercises" are "not out of the norm."
Several officials have suggested that Pentagon policymakers could advance the current basic arrangement and dissuade Trump from pursuing the thought of withdrawal.
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Washington this month. (Clemens Bilan / Epa-Efe / Rex / Shutterstock / Clemens Bilan / Epa-Efe / Rex / Shutterstock)
The Pentagon spokesman, Eric Pahon, rejected any suggestion of total or partial withdrawal of the company. Germany and qualified this analysis as routine. "The Pentagon regularly reviews the posture of the force and performs cost-benefit analyzes," he said in a statement. "This is not new.Germany is host to the strongest presence of US forces in Europe – we remain deeply rooted in the common values and strong relationships between our countries.We remain fully committed to our NATO ally and to the NATO alliance. "
Defense officials said that a cost analysis conducted at the staff level to inform a broader discussion about the presence of US troops in Europe. As part of the regular analysis of the cost and justification of its troops around the world, the United States has significantly reduced the size of its force in Germany compared to the Cold War.
But Doubts Persist in Europe Regarding Trump's Commitment Scenarios for redeployment to the study include a large-scale return of US troops stationed in Germany to the United States and a full movement or partial of the United States. In 1965, Poland proposed to spend at least $ 2 billion to obtain a permanent US base. The US military already has a rotating force in Poland, with other alliance members doing the same in the Baltic countries, as part of an effort to NATO to prevent the growing Russian aggression along the eastern flank of the Alliance. But Trump remains unhappy that many NATO countries are not spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense, a target that alliance members have agreed to reach in 2024 The United States spends about 3.58% of its GDP on defense.
Although several US governments have called on Europe to spend more, Trump is particularly focused on the bottom line. Last week, the White House's frustration was exposed during a controversial meeting in Washington between Trump's national security advisor, John Bolton, and German Defense Minister Ursula von. der Leyen. Von der Leyen said the German budget projections projected an increase in defense spending to 1.5% of the country's GDP by 2024. According to a NATO official, the White House was disappointed by the German efforts
[Trump calls for Russia to be reinstated to G-7, threatens allies on trade]
Member governments had been informed of any Trump plan to raise the question of the withdrawal or repositioning of US troops in Europe at the top, although all are aware of Polish lobbying to place at least some elements. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a member government before the summit.
The official stated that Poland's offer was "peanuts by comparison" to US military investments in Germany, including "the value of 60 years of sunk costs." The head of NATO and others have suggested that the cost analysis of the US presence in Germany and a withdrawal option recalled Trump's demand last winter for military options to go to war with North Korea, designed "to scare everyday people and get [North Korea] at the table." In this case, the official suggested, the goal may be to "pile more trouble" on Merkel, while rattling the alliance in general and positioning himself as a spoiler at the top.
US Allies who host permanent US military footprints pay a portion of the costs in a variety of ways. Japan and South Korea, for example, make cash contributions, according to a 2013 study by Rand Corp. for the office of the US Secretary of Defense, while Germany supports the presence of US troops by contributions in kind. Based on its 2002 statistics, the study estimated that Germany offset about 33% of the costs of US military personnel stationed there. It is unclear how much savings would be made by bringing them all home, because the United States would still be responsible for paying them, in addition to housing and other staff costs. At the same time, a large part of US troops in Germany is engaged in US military efforts outside of Europe and is only basing its operations on the nation.
The US military has reduced its presence in Europe before the annexation of Russia. Crimea from neighboring Ukraine in early 2014 prompted a change of posture, with Washington seeking to deter Moscow from further encroachments. US and Allied forces began to operate brigades across the East, and the United States began sending equipment such as tanks and helicopters back to the theater.
Trump's disdain for this alliance – which he declared "obsolete" during his presidential campaign – It's focused on Germany, and on Merkel in particular, including recent tweets saying that she was losing her grip on power at her home.
von Bolton meeting with von der Leyen In March 2017, Germany owes "huge sums of money to NATO and the United States has to pay more for powerful and very expensive defense that she provides to Germany! "
Trump's ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, also ruffled feathers, telling a conservative press organ this month that he wants to "strengthen" the European right – a remark that some governments Europeans consider it threatening.
A letter was written this week by Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) Asking Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to fire Grenell. A State Department official confirmed the receipt of the letter but did not comment on its content.
As Trump criticized NATO – describing him at the top of the Group of 7 in Canada as "worse than NAFTA", the Trilateral Trade Agreement also denounced – the allies were comforted with the support of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and to some extent Pompeo.
At a Senate hearing on the state department's budget, Pompeo spoke of a "strong Atlantic unity". We pushed them to increase their willingness to support NATO forces. "
Adding to the confusion of the overall US message at the moment when Trump favors better relations with Russia, Pompeo said that the administration was pressuring Europeans to maintain sanctions against Moscow, imposed on the country. annexation of Crimea
"It is time for them to worry as much about repelling Russia as we do" and "convincing them that the sanctioning regime While Trump pondered the reason why the Alliance continues to ostracize Russia on Crimea and hinted that Russia would be readmitted to the G-7, Trump said, "It is important to achieve results in the interest of the world." ;Europe. Pompeo reiterated that "we reject" the Russian occupation of Crimea and Georgia and that the administration recognizes the threat that Moscow is imposing on Eastern Europe. and Poland. "I think this administration has been unequivocal about Russia," said Pompeo. "The Pentagon's analysis of Europe is at a time when relations between Trump and Europe have plunged into its decision to impose tariffs on imports from Europe." steel and aluminum, sparking titling measures, and withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal, a pact considered in Europe as a model for peaceful conflict resolution.The President's decision to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki July 16 adds a new twist to his trip to Europe, which includes a stop in London
However, under statements about the unity and indispensability of NATO – and Trump's alarm – the alliance is undoubtedly undergoing a tectonic shift, and Trump may be as much his manifestation as his cause.Having lost his original reason for being at the end of the cold war, he has found new justifications for existence during the Balkan wars s 1990s, followed by a focus on Afghanistan and counterterrorism. The resurgence of Russia as a threatening force in Europe has recently endowed the alliance with a renewed goal
But the question of where the Western Defense Pact fits into a 21st century where Europeans disagree with each other and with the United States. , on economic, trade and immigration issues, and in which the world undergoes a basic realignment with the rise of Asia, led some to consider a new arrangement.
Missy Ryan and Greg Jaffe contributed to this report.
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