BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2020) The trans-Atlantic coordinator for the German government, Peter Beyer, said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump's plans to pull out a significant number of troops from Germany might be hindered by the strong opposition to the move in Washington.
Earlier on the day, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that US forces will begin departing Germany within the next few weeks.
According to Beyer, the plan to reduce troop levels from 34,500 to 25,000 "is not in the interests of Germany or NATO, and from a geopolitical point of view, is pointless for the United States."
"In Washington, there are many opponents [of the troop pullout], and not only among Democrats, but also among Republicans, and in the Pentagon. It is possible that these plans will fail," Beyer told dpa news agency.
Beyer criticized the manner Washington uncovered the decision, saying that the German government learned about the planned move from media reports and had to wait for a week for an official confirmation.
In June, Trump confirmed media reports that he wants to pull 9,500 soldiers from Germany to bring down the count to 25,000, after accusing the German government of being delinquent in its defense spending. However, US lawmakers have introduced a bill in both chambers of Congress to block the Trump administration from using any Federal funds for the pullout, claiming that military presence in Germany is needed to "deter further aggression from Russia or aggression from other adversaries against the United States and its allies and partners."
