Trump is cutting the numbers of US troops in Europe. Here’s how

By Haley Britzky, CNN

(CNN) — This week Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth abruptly cancelled two US military deployments to Europe and ordered the removal of other personnel from the continent, according to two defense officials, in a series of moves meant to reduce the number of US troops following criticism by President Donald Trump about support from European allies.

A memo signed by Hegseth abruptly halted the scheduled deployment of 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which was expected to rotate through Poland and other countries including the Baltic states and Romania, the two defense officials said. Some personnel from the brigade were already in Europe and now must redeploy back to the US.

The memo also cancelled the future deployment to Germany of a battalion that specializes in firing long-range rockets and missiles, the defense officials said, and has directed that a command in Europe overseeing those capabilities be removed from the continent.

The change comes after Trump criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who had said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran and has repeatedly criticized NATO countries for not participating in the Iran war. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced on May 1 that the Pentagon would withdraw roughly 5,000 troops from Germany, after “a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe.”

The cancellation of scheduled rotations and deployments could be a way to work around the logistical challenges of quickly withdrawing forces who are permanently stationed in Germany, particularly those whose families are also stationed there, while still bringing numbers down. There are roughly 4,700 soldiers in the brigade combat team whose deployment to Europe has been cancelled, and over 500 soldiers in the long-range rocket and missile battalion, one of the defense officials said.

As of 2025 there were roughly 38,000 US troops in Germany, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, and 80,000 troops in Europe overall.

Defense Department talking points on the troop level changes reviewed by CNN tie the decision directly to frustration with Europe and Germany in particular, saying that European nations “have not stepped up when America needed them,” and that “recent Germany rhetoric has been inappropriate and unhelpful.”

“The President is rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks,” the talking points say. They also say the decision will “help restore readiness” and send a clear signal that Germany and other allies must take over primary responsibility for Europe’s defense.

The Defense Department declined to comment on the deployment cancellations and on the prepared talking points.

It’s unclear how many soldiers with 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team who were already in Europe will now be redeploying back to the US. The talking points say that the Biden administration “surged US brigade combat teams” in Europe in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but such a move “was always intended to be temporary.”

The battalion focused on long-range missiles — 3rd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment — was expected to deploy to Germany later this year and “ultimately be stationed in Germany in the years ahead,” the prepared talking points say.

The announcement of the intent to withdraw troops has raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill; the Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees said in a statement they were “very concerned” by the decision.

“Germany has stepped up in response to President Trump’s call for greater burden sharing, significantly increasing defense spending and providing seamless access, basing, and overflight for US forces in support of Operation Epic Fury,” Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Mike Rogers said in a joint statement on May 2 after the planned reduction of troops in Germany was first announced.

The 2026 funding bill for the Pentagon said that the US military could not have under 76,000 troops permanently stationed or deployed to Europe for more than 45 days without providing a series of notifications and certifications to Congress about strategy.

On Thursday, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen told reporters that the cancellation of the deployment to Poland “came as a surprise.”

“As far as I know, we weren’t notified about it,” said Shaheen, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“It is, I think, very short sighted,” she said. “It sends the wrong message — wrong message to Vladimir Putin, wrong message to China, wrong message to Iran.”

Military officials have made clear that Russia still poses a threat to the US and its allies in Europe. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, commander of US European Command and the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told lawmakers in March that Russia “is an enduring regional challenger, capable of threatening the US homeland.”

“Despite significant losses in Ukraine,” Grynkewich also said during an earlier hearing, “Russia retains the capability and the capacity to threaten US interests with its large and increasingly diverse nuclear stockpile, asymmetric capabilities and competent ground, air and maritime forces.”

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CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed to this story.