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US to move 11,900 troops out from Germany says Pentagon

US to move 11,900 troops out from Germany says Pentagon

US troops

The United States will slash its military presence in Germany by 11,900 troops, relocating some to Italy and Belgium in a major shift of Washington's NATO assets, Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced Wednesday.

Of the 34,500 US military personnel in Germany, some 6,400 will be sent home while nearly 5,600 others will be moved to other NATO countries. Thekey aim of the rotation is to reinforce NATO's southeastern flank near the Black Sea, Esper said.

According to Esper some troops could also go to Poland and the Baltic states if Warsaw follows through on an agreement already sketched out by the two sides.

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Earlier, US President Donald Trump hadordered the US military to remove nearly 9,500 troops from Germany which raised concerns in Europe about the US commitment to the region.

The move is the latest twist in relations between Berlin and Washington, which have often been strained during Trump’s presidency. Trump has pressed Germany to raise defence spending and accused Berlin of being a captive of Russia due to its energy reliance.

In May, the then US ambassador to Germany,Richard Grenell, accused Berlin of undermining Nato’s nuclear deterrent, taking aim at Merkel’s junior coalition partners after some of their leaders called for nuclear disarmament.