WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper spoke with his German counterpart to acknowledge the US plan to pull 9,500 forces from Germany, the Pentagon said in a statement.
"Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper spoke with German Federal Minister of Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer today to acknowledge the department's plans to redeploy 9,500 forces from Germany," the statement said on Thursday.
The two leaders also discussed a need to ensure that any US plan enhances deterrence against Russia and strengthens NATO.
Tuesday, the US Defense Department said the authorization was given to redeploy 9,500 troops from Germany.
Last month, President Donald Trump confirmed Washington's plans to reduce its forces by approximately 9,500 troops as a penalty for Berlin's alleged failure to allocate two percent of its budget on defense, per NATO regulations.
Trump has signaled that he would like to redeploy the forces to Poland.
Last week, a bipartisan group of US senators tried to prevent Trump from proceeding with his initiative by introducing an amendment that would not allow the Pentagon to extract forces without a congressional review.
Some German officials have argued that the move would weaken transatlantic security and undermine the United States' own interests.
