The evening of 29 July, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the announcement made by US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper earlier that day that 11,900 of the 34,500 military personnel currently in Germany would be withdrawn from the country.
Around 2,000 soldiers are going to be repositioned in Italy and Belgium, and 3,600 are expected to be sent to other NATO countries, notably (but subject to agreement) Poland and the Baltic States. The US military command in Europe (EUCOM), currently based in Stuttgart, will move to Mons, Belgium, where NATO command is located.
While the initial moves could take place “within weeks”, according to Mr Esper, US President Donald Trump has intimated that if Germany spent more on defence, he might review this plan.
In a statement, the NATO secretary general explained that the United States had consulted closely with all NATO allies prior to this announcement.
According to Mr Stoltenberg, the US announcement “underlines the continued commitment by the United States to NATO and to European security”.
By way of reminder, the secretary general stated that peace and security in Europe is important for the security and prosperity of North America. “[As] we face a more unpredictable world, we are stronger and safer when we stand together,” he stressed.
Asked about this announcement, spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) Peter Stano explained that the EEAS was watching all developments affecting the security of the EU “with interest”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)