WASHINGTON- Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, and 21 other HASC Republicans today wrote to President Trump urging him to reject reported proposals to reduce U.S. force posture in Germany by 9,500 personnel and further restrict the number of troops permitted in Germany at one time to 25,000. Read the full letter here.
In their letter, Reps Thornberry (T-TX), Bacon (R-NE), Banks (R-IN), Bergman (R-MI), Bishop (R-UT), Byrne (R-AL), Cheney (R-WY), Conaway (R-TX), Cook (R-CA), Gallagher (R-WI), Graves (R-MO), Hartzler (R-MO), Kelly (R-MS), Lamborn (R-CO), Mitchell (R-MI), Rogers (R-AL), Scott (R-GA), Stefanik (R-NY), Turner (R-OH), Waltz (R-FL), Wilson (R-SC), and Wittman (R-VA) said:
“We strongly believe that NATO allies, such as Germany, should do more to contribute to our joint defense efforts. At the same time, we also know that the forward stationing of American troops since the end of World War II has helped to prevent another world war and, most importantly, has helped make America safer.
“In Europe, the threats posed by Russia have not lessened, and we believe that signs of a weakened U.S. commitment to NATO will encourage further Russian aggression and opportunism. In addition, the overall limit on troops would prevent us from conducting the exercises that are necessary for the training and readiness of our forces and those of our allies. The troop limit would also significantly reduce the number of U.S. forces that can flow through Germany for deployment to bases around the world, causing serious logistical challenges.”