One Big Thing: Does removing U.S. troops from Germany cause a strain in US-German relations?

What is it?

• On July 29th, President Trump decided to withdraw 12,000 troops in Germany because the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) did not meet defense spending. 
• The move was made because the Trump Administration wants its European NATO partners to spend more money on defense to match the United States’ contribution.
• Under this plan, U.S. troops will start leaving Germany to move to other areas including Poland. 

Why is it important?

• This decision has received significant backlash from both parties and the international community who believe that this new change will put strain on our transatlantic alliances and partnerships. 
• Removing troops is an attempt to send a signal to our NATO allies to increase their defense spending but it will ultimately affect other parts of the world like AFRICOM, who is headquartered out of Germany.

What can you do?

• Check out the bipartisan congressional response to the troop removal