{"id":56594,"date":"2020-06-24T10:45:47","date_gmt":"2020-06-24T10:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/06\/24\/logistical-hurdles-could-slow-us-troop-withdrawal-from-germany\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:21:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:21:07","slug":"logistical-hurdles-could-slow-us-troop-withdrawal-from-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/2020\/06\/24\/logistical-hurdles-could-slow-us-troop-withdrawal-from-germany\/","title":{"rendered":"Logistical hurdles could slow U.S. troop withdrawal from Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The Defense Department is reviewing options to begin pulling about 10,000 troops out of Germany<\/a>, as directed by President Donald Trump. But even though some may be shifted to neighboring Poland, the withdrawal will still present complex logistical challenges and will not happen fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Pentagon can move forces quickly when needed in emergencies, transferring thousands of troops to new assignments<\/a> either at home or in other countries requires a litany of decisions \u2014including many that affect families, such as locating new housing or finding new jobs for spouses and schools for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. officials said no final decisions have been made on where those troops will go. But the issue is sure to be a prime topic as Poland’s President Andrzej Duda meets with Trump on Wednesday. Under an agreement announced last year, the U.S. is planning to send about 1,000 more troops for Poland, and progress is being made, officials said, to lay the groundwork for those moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A senior administration official, who briefed reporters anonymously Tuesday in line with ground rules for the call, said it’s premature to say when troops could be transferred out of Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump has said he is determined to cut the number of troops in Germany <\/a>from about 35,000 to 25,000. Shifting forces out of the country has long been rumored and is in line with Pentagon efforts to put more troops in the Indo-Pacific. But Trump’s comments last week suggested the move is tied more directly to his anger over Germany’s failure to meet NATO defense spending goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeveral thousand troops currently assigned to Germany may be reassigned to other countries in Europe,\u201d Trump\u2019s national security adviser, Robert O\u2019Brien, said in an op-ed published Tuesday in The Wall Street Journal. \u201cThousands may expect to redeploy to the Indo-Pacific, where the U.S. maintains a military presence in Guam, Hawaii, Alaska and Japan, as well as deployments in locations like Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A number of Congress members have objected to Trump\u2019s decision and some Republicans sent him a letter outlining their concerns. Pulling the troops out, said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, \u201cmay do more to harm the national security interests of the U.S. and our NATO allies and partners than it will to incentivize Germany to contribute more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lt. Col. Carla Gleason, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said it \u201cis working options with U.S. European Command consistent with the President\u2019s directive.\u201d She said the department\u2019s priorities include enhancing deterrence against Russia, which is a key part of any buildup in Poland. Based on the agreement with Poland, the U.S. will add a division headquarters, a combat training center, a unmanned aircraft squadron and structure to support an Army brigade that could rotate in and out of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\t