This week Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth abruptly cancelled two US navy deployments to Europe and ordered the removing of different personnel from the continent, in response to two protection officers, in a collection of strikes meant to scale back the quantity of US troops following criticism by President Donald Trump about assist from European allies.
A memo signed by Hegseth abruptly halted the scheduled deployment of 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which was anticipated to rotate by Poland and different nations together with the Baltic states and Romania, the two protection officers stated. Some personnel from the brigade had been already in Europe and now should redeploy again to the US.
The memo additionally cancelled the future deployment to Germany of a battalion that specializes in firing long-range rockets and missiles, the protection officers stated, and has directed {that a} command in Europe overseeing these capabilities be faraway from the continent.
The change comes after Trump criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who had stated the US was being “humiliated” by Iran and has repeatedly criticized NATO nations for not taking part in the Iran struggle. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced on May 1 that the Pentagon would withdraw roughly 5,000 troops from Germany, after “a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe.”
The cancellation of scheduled rotations and deployments may very well be a method to work round the logistical challenges of shortly withdrawing forces who’re completely stationed in Germany, notably these whose households are additionally stationed there, whereas nonetheless bringing numbers down. There are roughly 4,700 troopers in the brigade fight workforce whose deployment to Europe has been cancelled, and over 500 troopers in the long-range rocket and missile battalion, one of the protection officers stated.
As of 2025 there have been roughly 38,000 US troops in Germany, in response to the Council on Foreign Relations, and 80,000 troops in Europe general.
Defense Department speaking factors on the troop stage modifications reviewed by NCS tie the choice on to frustration with Europe and Germany in specific, saying that European nationals “have not stepped up when America needed them,” and that “recent Germany rhetoric has been inappropriate and unhelpful.”
“The President is rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks,” the speaking factors say. They additionally say the choice will “help restore readiness” and ship a transparent sign that Germany and different allies should take over major duty for Europe’s protection.
The Defense Department declined to touch upon the deployment cancellations and on the ready speaking factors.
It’s unclear how many troopers with 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team who had been already in Europe will now be redeploying again to the US. The speaking factors say that the Biden administration “surged US brigade combat teams” in Europe in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however such a transfer “was always intended to be temporary.”
The battalion targeted on long-range missiles — third Battalion, twelfth Field Artillery Regiment — was anticipated to deploy to Germany later this 12 months and “ultimately be stationed in Germany in the years ahead,” the ready speaking factors say.
The announcement of the intent to withdraw troops has raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill; the Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees stated in an announcement they had been “very concerned” by the choice.
“Germany has stepped up in response to President Trump’s call for greater burden sharing, significantly increasing defense spending and providing seamless access, basing, and overflight for US forces in support of Operation Epic Fury,” Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Mike Rogers stated in a joint assertion on May 2 after the deliberate discount of troops in Germany was first introduced.
The 2026 funding bill for the Pentagon stated that the US navy couldn’t have beneath 76,000 troops completely stationed or deployed to Europe for greater than 45 days with out offering a collection of notifications and certifications to Congress about technique.
On Thursday, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen instructed reporters that the cancellation of the deployment to Poland “came as a surprise.”
“As far as I know, we weren’t notified about it,” stated Shaheen, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“It is, I think, very short sighted,” she stated. “It sends the wrong message — wrong message to Vladimir Putin, wrong message to China, wrong message to Iran.”
Military officers have made clear that Russia nonetheless poses a risk to the US and its allies in Europe. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, commander of US European Command and the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, instructed lawmakers in March that Russia “is an enduring regional challenger, capable of threatening the US homeland.”
“Despite significant losses in Ukraine,” Grynkewich additionally said during an earlier hearing, “Russia retains the capability and the capacity to threaten US interests with its large and increasingly diverse nuclear stockpile, asymmetric capabilities and competent ground, air and maritime forces.”