"We expect the move to be complete within the next six to 12 months," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement, according to AFP.
The decision is a reaction to President Donald Trump's dissatisfaction with how European countries have responded to the conflict with Iran, senior defense officials told CBS News .
The announcement comes after increasingly heated rhetoric between Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Merz has said, among other things, that the US lacks a "convincing strategy" and is being "humiliated" by Iran, which prompted Trump on Thursday to express his desire to reduce U.S. forces in Germany.
Most U.S. soldiers in Europe
The U.S. military has a large presence in Germany, with more than 36,000 active-duty soldiers, according to CBS News. In addition, there are reportedly nearly 1,500 reservists and 11,500 civilians in the country. Outside the United States, only Japan has more U.S. troops stationed.
Trump has threatened to reduce the number of troops in Germany and other European countries during both of his terms in office as part of his criticism of the NATO defense alliance. After the president's latest move to relocate troops, Germany said it was ready for a reduced U.S. NATO presence.
Prepared for reduced presence
"We are having in-depth discussions about the future and, based on trust among NATO members, we expect American decisions regarding this," Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Thursday.
This in turn prompted Trump to once again criticize Germany for not participating in the conflict with Iran.
“The German Chancellor should spend more time ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (where he has been completely ineffective!) and fixing his broken country,” the president wrote on Truth Social .
