A New Wave of US Troop Withdrawals from Germany

As a form of punishment and warning, Donald Trump has announced the withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany. It must be recognized this is a symbolic action and means little to nothing as all the systems and infrastructure that are in place will not change. He is frustrated that NATO is not coming to his rescue as the Iran War has not gone according to plan and is generating significant economic trouble at home. Given the mid-term elections are in six months, he's starting to worry. I also would add there's a great deal that's been covered up with regard to US and Israeli losses - that will eventually come out.

The US has occupied Germany with its troops since 1945 but of course neither the US nor Germany wish to frame things in this manner. After the creation of West Germany in 1949, the US could argue that its troops were present on the basis of agreement with the new sovereign nation - which was (and to some extent still remains) a US client state. The framing of all this is mostly smoke and mirrors. Germany is not micro-managed by the United States but its military and intelligence services are intertwined with Washington. It is not wholly independent despite official statements and proclamations.

The US maintained around 250,000 troops in West Germany during the Cold War and after German reunification in 1990, and the end of the Cold War in 1991, it started a draw-down. But it wasn't just bringing troops back to the United States, it was also shifting them and the focus of US strategy. The chess board was in the process of being changed.

During my shameful time as a stormtrooper in the US Legions, I was stationed in Northern Italy. This was in the mid-1990's and everyone was talking about the draw-down from Germany and the fact that bases like Aviano were being built up. It was tiny base when I was there and when I look at Google Maps and pictures today, I struggle to make sense of it at times. So much has changed and been built up.

The US (it was said) was preparing for operations in the Mediterranean and the Middle East and indeed the Bosnian War was still ongoing when I arrived. I was there during the Dayton Peace Accords and the influx of US troops in its aftermath. Actually the whole thing started in earnest at the end of December 1995. We had to work long hours as Bosnian airfields were too small for US C-5, C-141, and 747 cargo aircraft. We didn't see the first C-17's until a bit later. We had to unload everything from the larger aircraft, stage it, and re-load it into C-130's and other smaller planes that could land in Bosnia.

I've always found it interesting how US planners seemed to intuit that the Middle East would become a major focus for operations in the 21st century. Were they operating with some foresight or was it in preparation for something already planned - or maybe (as some might reckon it) a self-fulfilled prophecy?

Germany was downsized to around 35,000 troops and half or maybe most of them are based around Ramstein AB in the Rhineland. It's like an American colony within Germany. It's quite impressive. They've had Americans around for decades and while some benefit economically there are many who feel occupied and hate the partying, traffic accidents, rapes, ignorance, and all that goes with living in a garrison town.

Germany was a frontline state in the Cold War and would have been the battleground in a fight with the Warsaw Pact. Today it's mostly a logistics hub, a stop-over between the US and the Middle East and Africa. It's a base for drone operations, a major medical centre, and the headquarters for USAFE (United States Air Forces in Europe). My unit in Italy was actually a detachment from the Ramstein command.

Many Italians work on the base and undoubtedly thousands of Germans are also employed by the US military. These people along with the many companies who contract with the Pentagon like to see these bases. They are a steady source of income. And it's not just big ticket items like military hardware, it's things like catering and other food services, laundry, landscaping, construction, and other services. Local restaurants and hotels do very well as do many of the shops. There's always a very high demand for rental cars and vans. The list is long.

Regardless of economic benefits, some simply believe in NATO and Atlanticism and the narratives their think-tanks and politicians provide about the world and its perils. Some are indifferent to the American presence and yet there are also many who would rather see these bases gone.

I'm not sure what's happening today but there were almost always protesters outside of Aviano AB back in the 1990's - people who wanted the Americans to leave. It was eye-opening for me I can assure you. And there are many in Germany who feel the same way both on the Right and the Left. There are many on the Right in both Italy and Germany that would like to see NATO disbanded and many of these voices spoke out in the 1990's.

I've always been of the mind that what happened in Yugoslavia was not about human rights or humanitarian concerns but a geopolitical mop-up - an attempt to quickly secure Europe. This was achieved on several fronts. The former Warsaw Pact countries were flooded with Western money and political operatives who successfully steered these countries (and some former Soviet states) into the EU and NATO. Yugoslavia proved troublesome as any historian could have told them and the Serbs (who dominated Yugoslav politics post-Tito) resisted. They had to be broken and this happened in two phases - Bosnia in 1995 and Kosovo in 1999.

But NATO also needed to justify its continued existence. The Warsaw Pact was gone as was the USSR. What need was there for NATO? Well, the Yugoslav Wars provided the answer and then NATO was called on again after 9/11, and in an overtly offensive operation, the alliance overthrew the government of Libya in 2011. NATO became a European policeman, an expanded extension of US power in terms of Asia (Afghanistan), and an offensive alliance all at once. The period from 1995-2011 was transformative.

Trump wants to make Chancellor Merz look bad and to shake up the politics in Berlin and Brussels. He thinks his withdrawal is a punishment and some might take it as such but many won't, and not a few will rejoice at the prospect of the US Legions departing. It's been interesting to note how Western media has given little if any voice to these rather significant elements in society. They did cover AfD's approval of troop withdrawal's during the first Trump administration - coverage meant to make the AfD look nefarious or extreme. I'm no fan of the AfD but I can also understand why they want to see the Americans gone. But I do find it both striking and telling that Western outlets won't give voice to those who argue it's time for the Americans to go home. I have to believe these numbers are growing in the age of Trump and are gaining traction even in otherwise moderate circles.