.@POTUS says withdrawal of almost 12,000 US troops from #Germany result of German failure to spend more on defense
"Why would we keep all of those troops there" he told reporters "Germany is delinquent...They’ve taken advantage of us for many years"
Asked about whether the move was about #German defense spending, @EsperDoD said, "We began this process actually several months ago...what the president did with his directive in early June was to accelerate that process"
"We are still retaining a little more than 24,000 troops in Germany, which is still a lot, and I think still more than any other country in #Europe" per @EsperDoD
"We're moving forces out of Central #Europe, #Germany, where they have been since the #ColdWar" per @EsperDoD "We're following in many ways the boundary east, where our where our newest allies are so into the #BlackSea region"
"We talked about additional forces into #Poland. And I think there are opportunities to put forces into the #Baltics" per @EsperDoD "We've gotten very positive feedback from several countries I've mentioned this morning with regard to this move"
Rebuke for @POTUS from @SenatorRomney on US pulling troops from #Germany, calling move "a gift" to #Russia
"The Administration’s plan to remove thousands of U.S. troops from Germany is a grave error. It is a slap in the face at a friend and ally" per Romney
Criticism, too, from a former @US_EUCOM @SHAPE_NATO commander
@stavridisj says pulling troops from #Germany "doesn't make sense financially, hurts NATO solidarity overall, and is a gift to Putin"
.@POTUS earlier at the White House re pulling US troops from #Germany: "We're reducing the force because they're not paying their bills, it's very simple"
"We don't want to be the suckers anymore" he added
NEW: "Champagne must be flowing freely this evening at the #Kremlin" - Senate Foreign Relations ranking member @SenatorMenendez on US plan to pull troops from #Germany
Decision "will ultimately weaken US efforts to counter Kremlin aggression in Europe" he says
H/T @kgyp
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