22 Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee implored President Trump on Tuesday to scrap reported plans for the Pentagon to move 9,500 troops out of Germany by September.
The big picture: Moving the troops is a decision that Trump has long discussed privately, per Axios’ Jonathan Swan.
Details: The move, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, would limit the number of U.S. service members that can be permanently stationed in Germany at any one time to 25,000.
What they’re saying: In Europe, the threats posed by Russia have not lessened, and we believe that signs of a weakened U.S. commitment to NATO will encourage further Russian aggression and opportunism,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the White House on Tuesday.
- “In addition, the overall limit on troops would prevent us from conducting the exercises that are necessary for the training and readiness of our forces and those of our allies. The troop limit would also significantly reduce the number of U.S. forces that can flow through Germany for deployment to bases around the world, causing serious logistical challenges.”
Go deeper: Trump orders thousands of U.S. troops to withdraw from Germany
