Trump says U.S. to pull some troops from Germany, could be an example to S. Korea
- 4 years ago
트럼프 "독일 주둔 미군 2만5천명으로 줄일 것"…감축 첫 공식화, 한국의 여파는?
U.S. President Donald Trump says the size of the U.S. military forces in Germany will be cut.
He added Germany won't be the only country that will see a reduction in American troops.
And this could raise some eyebrows in Seoul as it's still negotiating with the U.S. over how much it should pay towards stationing U.S. troops in South Korea.
Kim Do-yeon reports.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he will reduce the number of U.S. troops in Germany from around 34,500 to 25,000... confirming earlier reports on the move that raised concerns in Europe about U.S. commitment to the region.
The President said it's because of Germany's failure to meet NATO's agreed defense spending target. He also claimed Germany is not practicing fair trade with the U.S.
In 2014, NATO agreed that each of its 30 members should spend 2% of GDP on defense, but many countries, including Germany, haven't managed this.
The German Ambassador to the U.S. Emily Haber responded that the U.S. forces in Germany were there to project U.S. power in Africa and Asia as well.
This could be alarming not just for NATO members, but also for other countries where U.S. forces are based.
For example, the U.S. has more than 26,000 troops stationed in South Korea and 55,000 in Japan.
For months, Seoul and Washington have been trying to come to an agreement over defense cost sharing but are at an impasse.
In the latest negotiations in March, the U.S. demanded a 50% increase from Seoul, but Korea's Foreign Ministry said the largest acceptable increase would be 13%.
While Trump said earlier this year that the renegotiations on defense costs are unrelated to a reduction in troop numbers, this could be a possible move by the U.S. in the future.
In fact, former U.S. ambassador to Berlin, Richard Grenell recently said President Trump is "very clear" in bringing troops home from countries like South Korea, Japan and other allies, stressing Americans are "tired of paying too much" for the defense of other countries.
Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News.
U.S. President Donald Trump says the size of the U.S. military forces in Germany will be cut.
He added Germany won't be the only country that will see a reduction in American troops.
And this could raise some eyebrows in Seoul as it's still negotiating with the U.S. over how much it should pay towards stationing U.S. troops in South Korea.
Kim Do-yeon reports.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he will reduce the number of U.S. troops in Germany from around 34,500 to 25,000... confirming earlier reports on the move that raised concerns in Europe about U.S. commitment to the region.
The President said it's because of Germany's failure to meet NATO's agreed defense spending target. He also claimed Germany is not practicing fair trade with the U.S.
In 2014, NATO agreed that each of its 30 members should spend 2% of GDP on defense, but many countries, including Germany, haven't managed this.
The German Ambassador to the U.S. Emily Haber responded that the U.S. forces in Germany were there to project U.S. power in Africa and Asia as well.
This could be alarming not just for NATO members, but also for other countries where U.S. forces are based.
For example, the U.S. has more than 26,000 troops stationed in South Korea and 55,000 in Japan.
For months, Seoul and Washington have been trying to come to an agreement over defense cost sharing but are at an impasse.
In the latest negotiations in March, the U.S. demanded a 50% increase from Seoul, but Korea's Foreign Ministry said the largest acceptable increase would be 13%.
While Trump said earlier this year that the renegotiations on defense costs are unrelated to a reduction in troop numbers, this could be a possible move by the U.S. in the future.
In fact, former U.S. ambassador to Berlin, Richard Grenell recently said President Trump is "very clear" in bringing troops home from countries like South Korea, Japan and other allies, stressing Americans are "tired of paying too much" for the defense of other countries.
Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News.