Two senior Republican MPs are voicing strong disagreement over Trump’s decision to withdraw 5,000 US soldiers from Germany.
In their letter, SenatorRoger Wicker, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Congressman Mike Rogers, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, both expressed disagreement with the decision of Donald Trump and at the same time raise the issue of Europe’s stability in the face of Vladimir Putin’s expansionist tendencies.
Specifically, Wicker and Rogers said in their statement: “We are very concerned about the decision to withdraw a US brigade from Germany.” “Germany has responded to Republican President Trump’s demands by significantly increasing its defense spending,” they stressed, recalling “Berlin’s cooperation in the war with Iran, including granting overflight rights.” “While allies are increasing defence spending, this has yet to translate into a credible deterrent,” Wicker and Rogers noted, adding: “Until they do that, the US will need to maintain a strong military presence in the field.” “A premature drawdown of troops risks “undermining deterrence and sending the wrong message to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin,” they stressed.
“Rather than withdrawing forces from the continent entirely, it is in America’s interest to maintain a strong deterrent in Europe by moving those 5,000 US forces eastward,” they suggested.Mr. Wicker and Mr. Rogers.
What German side responds to Trump
For his part, the Germans responded coolly on the one hand and with great annoyance on the other. Although the defense minister of Germany, Boris Pistorius called it an “expected development”, he stressed the need for “the Europeans to take greater responsibility for their security“. The chairman of the German parliament’s defence committee, Thomas Rehnenkamp, described the US announcement as a “wake-up call” and recommended “calmness”.
“The possible withdrawal of 5,000 troops is not a reason for panic, Tomas Rehnenkamp told the Rheinische Post. However, he criticized the US president’s “uncoordinated” approach. “A security partnership is not a trade deal and NATO is not a bargain. Therefore, the US president’s constant provocations are unacceptable,” Thomas Ravencamp said.
Foreign policy expert from the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) Jürgen Hart estimated that “Donald Trump’s attitude is due to the unfavourable results for him in the latest polls.” “Trump is seen to be losing ground in the polls ahead of the November midterm elections. However, the announcement is particularly worrying as it undermines the credibility of the deterrence narrative, namely that the US will defend Europe if attacked,” Jürgen Hart noted.
