Trump approves slashing US troops in Germany

On Monday, President Donald Trump approved plans to significantly reduce the number of US troops in Germany after being briefed by top Pentagon officials on the move, which was directed by Trump and has drawn bipartisan criticism that it would weaken the US military's ability to deter Russia, CNN reports.

"The Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff briefed the President yesterday on plans to redeploy 9,500 troops from Germany," Chief Pentagon Spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement Tuesday, adding that Trump approved the plan.

Hoffman claimed that "the proposal that was approved not only meets the President's directive, it will also enhance Russian deterrence, strengthen NATO, reassure Allies, improve US strategic flexibility and US European Command's operational flexibility, and take care of our service members and their families."

However, the plan to cut US forces from Germany, where there is currently some 34,500 personnel, has drawn opposition from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers and America's allies in Europe.

Dozens of Republican members of Congress have written to Trump to get him to reverse his decision to reduce US troops from Germany and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, of Utah, recently introduced legislation that would limit the use of funds to implement the decision.

Hoffman said that "Pentagon leaders look forward to briefing this plan to the congressional defense committees in the coming weeks, followed by consultations with NATO allies on the way forward."

Trump has long criticized Germany for a range of issues, particularly Berlin's failure to meet the target of spending 2% of GDP on defense recommended by NATO.

The US military has stationed forces in Germany since the end of the Second World War, and the presence of over 200,000 troops there on the front lines of the Cold War helped deter the Soviet Union from mounting an attack on NATO members.