US planning to slash troops in Germany: reportUS military personnel and M1 Abrams tanks in German ahead of war games in February 2020WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to slash the number of troops it maintains in Germany by more than a quarter in the coming months, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The newspaper said the Defense Department would cut the number of military personnel by 9,500 from the current 34,500 permanently assigned to Germany postings. White House and Pentagon officials declined to confirm or deny the story, which comes amid tensions between the Trump administration and European allies over longstanding cooperation agreements. Washington in particular does not think Germany spends enough for its own defense. "The United States remains committed to working with our strong ally Germany to ensure our mutual defense, as well as on many other important issues," Ullyot said.

Source: Bangkok Post June 05, 2020 20:48 UTC