The United States is sending about 500 additional soldiers to Germany to strengthen the bond between the two countries.
They are permanently stationed in Germany, defence minister Lloyd Austin announced during a visit to Berlin. His German counterpart Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer spoke of an “encouraging signal”.
Austin said the massive withdrawal of US troops from Germany announced by ex-President Donald Trump is off the track. The US had previously put that plan to remove 12,000 soldiers on hold to Berlin’s delight. Trump felt that Germany spends too little money on the armed forces.
Since World War II, American troops have been stationed in Germany, but since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the numbers have been reduced. In 1990 it was still 200,000 people, of which there are now about 34,500 left.
Secretary Austin assured that Germany would remain “an important economic and security partner” of the US for years to come. He called strengthening the relationship a “top priority” for President Joe Biden’s administration.
Under the Trump administration, the Nord Stream gas pipeline from Russia to Germany was a divisive fungus, with the US introducing sanctions against companies involved in the construction. “We have expressed our opposition to this deal and the influence it will give Russia,” said Austin.
The US will not allow this conflict to damage its “great relationship” with Berlin, he said. Biden’s government previously indicated that it would uphold and continue to comply with the relevant sanctions law from 2019.