Thornberry, GOP colleagues warn Trump against reducing U.S. forces in Germany

A proposed U.S. troop reduction in Germany would harm America’s security abroad, said U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), ranking member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, and 21 other committee Republicans.

“We are very concerned about reports that the administration is considering a significant reduction of U.S. troops currently based in Europe, as well as a cap on the total number of U.S. troops which can be present there at any one time,” wrote Rep. Thornberry and his fellow GOP committee members in a June 9 letter sent to President Donald Trump.

“We believe that such steps would significantly damage U.S. national security as well as strengthen the position of Russia to our detriment,” according to their letter.

Rep. Thornberry and his colleagues also wrote they “strongly believe” that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, such as Germany, should contribute more to joint defense efforts.

“At the same time, we also know that the forward stationing of American troops since the end of World War II has helped to prevent another world war and, most importantly, has helped make America safer,” wrote the lawmakers, who also included U.S. Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE), Paul Cook (R-CA), Sam Graves (R-MO), Paul Mitchell (R-MI), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and Mike Turner (R-OH).

Because threats from Russia have not decreased, the members wrote, signs of a weakened U.S. commitment to NATO could encourage further Russian aggression and opportunism.

“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,” Rep. Thornberry and his committee colleagues wrote. “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.”