Lawmakers in the US have announced a bill that would delay the withdrawal of American troops from Germany until after Donald Trump has left office, thus potentially making way for a reversal of the decision announced by the president in June.    

Draft law moves to block US troop withdrawal from Germany

The draft law, which forms part of a 4.500-page defence budget package known as the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA), has received support from both Democratic and Republication factions, but still needs to pass through Congress. 

It specifies that the US Secretary of Defense must present a report to Congress, analysing whether a troop withdrawal is in the US national interest. Then only 120 days later, at the earliest, would the number of US soldiers stationed in Germany be allowed to fall below the limit of 34.500. As Trump is set to leave the White House on January 20 (in just over 40 days’ time), the bill casts doubt on the entire troop withdrawal. 

The draft proposal states explicitly that Congress continues to value Germany as a strong NATO partner and that the presence of the “approximately 34.500 members of the US armed forces station in Germany” serves as an important deterrent to Russia’s expansionist ambitions in Europe. They are also critical for supporting US operations in the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan. 

Trump wanted to punish Germany on NATO spending

In June this year, Trump announced his plan to withdraw almost a third of the US troops stationed in Germany, justifying the move on the grounds that Germany was failing to meet its NATO spending commitments and treating the US “unfairly” on trade. Half of the troops were to be recalled to the US, while the remaining 5.600 were to be redeployed to other NATO countries. 

His plans were met with near-universal criticism, with leading senators in the US citing security concerns. German politicians emphasised that the withdrawal would have severe economic consequences for the regions in Germany - Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria - where the troops are primarily based. 

A few weeks after the announcement, the now-dismissed US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that the plans would be implemented “as soon as possible”, but as yet nothing has happened. Trump has threatened to veto the defense budget, but his presidential veto can be overruled with a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate.