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Bye Bye?
[BusinessInsider]

Trump was reportedly surprised by the number of US troops stationed in Germany and expressed interest in pulling some of them out!
The US Defense Department is reportedly analyzing the cost-to-benefit ratio of a large-scale withdrawal or transfer of US troops in Germany.Trump, who has had a tenuous relationship with the German chancellor Angela Merkel, was said to have been surprised by the number of US troops stationed there.
Some US officials were said to have tried to dissuade Trump from taking action.
European officials were reportedly alarmed at the possibility of US troop movements — some of whom wondered whether Trump might use it as a negotiation tactic.
The National Security Council has downplayed the report.

The US Defense Department is reportedly analyzing whether or not it is feasible to conduct a large-scale withdrawal or transfer of US troops in Germany, according to a Washington Post report published on Friday.

President Donald Trump reportedly mulled the option after meeting with military aides earlier this year, US officials said in the report. Trump, who has had a tenuous relationship with the German chancellor Angela Merkel, was said to have been surprised by the number of US troops stationed in the region.

Some US officials were said to have tried to dissuade Trump from taking action.

Around 35,000 active-duty troops were stationed in Germany last year. US troop levels peaked at 274,119 in 1962, 17 years after World War II.

In addition to the US presence in Germany, Trump was reportedly vexed by his belief that other NATO countries were not contributing enough to the organization. Trump has frequently vented his frustration and criticized NATO members for failing to abide by the 2%-of-GDP defense-spending level that members agreed to during the alliance's inception.
"My statement on NATO being obsolete and disproportionately too expensive (and unfair) for the U.S. are now, finally, receiving plaudits," Trumps said during his 2016 presidential campaign on Twitter.

Trump has similarly suggested pulling US troops out of South Korea. Citing several people familiar with the discussions, The New York Times reported in May that he had ordered the Pentagon to prepare options for a drawdown.

"We lose money on trade, and we lose money on the military," Trump said in a speech March. "We have right now 32,000 soldiers on the border between North and South Korea," Trump added. "Let's see what happens."


Posted by: 3dc 2018-06-30
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=517477