Trump to cut troops in Germany. @michaelcrowley and I confirm the reporting of @wsj nytimes.com/2020/06/05/wor…
“The reason we have troops overseas in Germany is not to protect Germans, everything we have is for our benefit,” said Frederick B. Hodges, a retired lieutenant general and a former top U.S. Army commander in Europe. “The decision doesn’t seem attached to any kind of strategy.”
“At the urging of President Trump, NATO allies increased their defense spending by $140 billion so it only makes sense that the American people don’t have to carry the burden as much,” said Richard Grenell, the former American ambassador to Germany.
“What Trump will never understand is that this move won’t hurt Merkel at all,” said Julianne Smith, with the German Marshall Fund. “If he’s hoping to hurt her politically, this does nothing. It actually hurts us more. We are cutting off our nose to spite our face.”
