NATO
Trump orders withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany amid Trump-Merz clash over Iran
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President Donald Trump, via Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has ordered the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany due to European allies' insufficient support for U.S. operations against Iran, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the move follows a force posture review and will occur over six to twelve months, primarily affecting a brigade combat team and halting a planned long-range fires battalion deployment. The decision fulfills prior threats and escalates tensions with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over Iran's nuclear ambitions and the ongoing conflict.
Amid the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis, Germany's navy has taken concrete steps following earlier planning: the minehunter “Fulda” departed Kiel-Wik for the Mediterranean, and supply ship “Mosel” is being pulled from a NATO Aegean mission to support it. Both will join NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2, ready for potential strait deployment pending Bundestag approval.
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Two senior US Republicans have criticized the planned reduction of US troops in Germany. Roger Wicker and Mike Rogers warn it could undermine deterrence capabilities. SPD politician Siemtje Möller also sees it as a signal of arbitrariness.
The New York Times said it would run a correction after a headline in its Friday print edition misstated NATO’s full name, drawing online reactions from journalists, former Trump administration officials and President Donald Trump.
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Amid the war against Iran launched on February 28, countries including France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and Italy are restricting access to their territory for US military aircraft. Donald Trump voiced anger at these Nato allies on Truth Social. Emmanuel Macron confirmed France's non-participation stance.
Finland's government proposes lifting the current ban on nuclear weapons on Finnish territory as soon as possible to strengthen the country's security as a NATO member. Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen emphasizes that the change applies only to military defense and does not involve plans to station nuclear weapons in the country. In Sweden, a survey shows that a majority of parliamentary parties support contributing to European nuclear deterrence.
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Denmark's government has accepted France's invitation to collaborate on nuclear deterrence, while Sweden joins a deepened dialogue. President Emmanuel Macron announced the expansion of France's nuclear arsenal and invited several European countries to exercises. The cooperation is seen as complementary to NATO, without changing Denmark's policy against nuclear weapons on Danish soil.
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