By EFE
The latest threat by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to withdraw more than 5,000 soldiers from Germany calls into question the legal limits that the president faces when he issues warnings as a political reaction to specific discrepancies that affect the international commitments acquired by his country.
Trump’s discomfort after the statements of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in which he questioned Washington’s strategy in the Iran war and went so far as to affirm that Tehran was “humiliating” the United States, They provoked not only the announcement of the 5,000 soldiers who would leave German soil in the next six to twelve months, but also the future that “there would be many more.”as Trump said this weekend.
This notice raises the question of whether the president of the United States actually has the factual power to execute him.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2026, signed by Trump himself in December 2025, establishes a minimum presence of US troops in Europe.
Specifically, at least 76,000 troops must remain on European soil.
The rule prevents the Pentagon from reducing troop levels below this threshold for more than forty-five days without submitting a formal evaluation. and certify to Congress that such reduction does not affect or harm the security interests of the United States or NATO.
The law, promoted by both Democrats and Republicans, had the objective of shielding in Congress the presence of US troops in Europe, given the tensions between the White House and allies on the other side of the Atlantic, so that Trump maintains his ability to decide to reduce the military presence in the Old Continent, but he cannot do so in an unlimited manner.
The departure of the American contingent from Germany would leave American troops in Europe at about 80,000 soldiers, according to Department of Defense calculations, a figure comparable to the pre-war deployment in Ukraine that began in February 2022, although in the case of Germany they would be lower after the troop reduction.
In Europe, the largest concentration of United States troops is in Germany, with some 36,400 soldiersfollowed by the United Kingdom with 10,156.
Taken together, American bases and sites in Europe They are spread across 31 permanent bases and 19 additional locations with Department of Defense access.
The reduction of US troops in Germany is the first firm decision in reaction to what the president considers a lukewarm European response and the reactions have not been long in coming, as that of German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius who emphasizes the need for Europe to “assume more responsibility in its defense.”
Washington’s decision to reduce its presence in Germany, with the possibility of also doing so in Spain and Italy, aggravates Trump’s clashes with Europe in the first half of his second term, which include everything from pressure for tariffs to the threat of annexation of Greenland or the multiple disagreements over aid to Ukraine.
The relationship of the president of the United States with NATO has not been placid since his return to the White House in January 2025but the start of the Iran war on February 28, 2026 marked a turning point in the complexity of transatlantic relations.
Trump, who does not miss the opportunity to describe the alliance as a “paper tiger,” has come to describe the member countries, which were its traditional partners, as “cowards” and to threaten, as it has done in the past, with the departure of the United States from NATO.
Precisely, the popular secretary of NATO, Mark Rutte, who is trying to temporize positions, stated this Monday in a meeting with European leaders in Armenia that the United States is “disappointed” by the reaction of the allies regarding the war in Iran, but added that they have “got the message” about logistical support.
Alejandra Clements
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