{"id":60361,"date":"2020-11-09T17:31:04","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T17:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/11\/09\/some-german-officials-hope-biden-will-revert-us-troop-drawdown\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T20:43:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T20:43:17","slug":"some-german-officials-hope-biden-will-revert-us-troop-drawdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2020\/11\/09\/some-german-officials-hope-biden-will-revert-us-troop-drawdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Some German officials hope Biden will reverse US troop drawdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

COLOGNE, Germany \u2014 German officials have woken up to the prospect of a new trans-Atlantic relationship under President-elect Joe Biden, with Chancellor Angela Merkel pledging to up Berlin\u2019s contributions and the minister-president of Bavaria hoping the new administration will put a troop reduction plan on ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaders here reacted positively to the news that the former vice president and his running mate, Kamala Harris, had defeated President Donald Trump in the presidential race. It appears Biden secured enough electoral votes to become president after major U.S. television networks on Saturday called Pennsylvania in favor of Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe entire world watches the U.S. presidential election with a keen interest every four years,\u201d Merkel said Monday. \u201cAmericans have made their choice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said Germany and Europe stand ready to increase their contribution to what many here hope to be a relationship free from the pervasive animosity of the Trump era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGermans and Europeans know that we must shoulder greater responsibility for this partnership,\u201d Merkel said. \u201cAmerica remains our most important ally. But it expects from us, for good reason, stronger efforts toward our own security, and to stand up for our convictions in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the summer, news of a planned drawdown of almost 12,000 American troops from Germany strained the two country\u2019s relations, mainly because the White House had kept German officials completely out of the loop. Under the plan, the headquarters of U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command would move from Stuttgart to Belgium to be co-located there with the NATO command infrastructure for Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bavaria\u2019s Minister-President Markus S\u00f6der, whose state hosts U.S. Army installations at Vilseck and Grafenw\u00f6hr, said he was relieved about Biden\u2019s election. The two nations should return to a renewed sense of common purpose, he said Monday. That includes hopes to “put partially one-sided, politically motivated troop drawdown<\/a> plans on ice,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\t