"We expect the move to be complete within the next six to 12 months," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on Friday, according to AFP.
The announcement comes after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the US war on Iran, saying the US lacks a “convincing strategy” and is being “humiliated” by Iran, angering President Donald Trump.
However, Germany seems to be taking the US announcement in stride. "The US withdrawal of troops from Europe and Germany is 'expected'," Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday.
"We Europeans must take greater responsibility for our own security," he wrote in a statement sent to several media outlets.
Also in Spain and Italy
The US military has a large presence in Germany, with more than 36,000 active-duty soldiers. In addition, the US reportedly has nearly 1,500 reservists and 11,500 civilian personnel in the country.
During both of his terms in office, Trump has threatened to reduce the number of troops in Germany and other European countries - recently also Spain and Italy - as part of his criticism of the NATO defense alliance.
"We are working with the United States to understand the details of their decision on the force buildup in Germany," NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said on X on Saturday.
Accused allies
The decision to move 5,000 troops is rooted in President Trump's dissatisfaction with how European countries have responded to the war in Iran, senior defense officials confirmed to CBS News.
Recently, Trump has accused allies in Europe of lacking support for the US war against Iran, often through various personal attacks.
“The German Chancellor should spend more time ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (where he has been completely ineffective!) and fixing his broken country, especially on migration and energy, and less time bothering those who are getting rid of the Iranian nuclear threat,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday.
