The United States will withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany over the next six to twelve months, the Department of Defense announced, amid rising tensions between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war with Iran. The move follows a public dispute in which Merz criticized Washington’s handling of the conflict and questioned its strategy.

A senior defense official said the president was responding to what he viewed as unhelpful remarks from Berlin. The reduction will bring American troop levels in Europe back to roughly where they stood before the 2022 buildup that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Germany currently hosts about 35,000 active duty American personnel, more than any other European country.

The withdrawal also reflects the administration’s broader push for European nations to take greater responsibility for security on the continent. Germany has argued that it has supported Washington’s operations by granting base access and overflight permissions, and German officials said they were surprised by the announcement following what they described as constructive meetings earlier in the week.