The Hill

Twenty-two Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee are calling on President Trump not to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Germany.

In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, committee ranking member Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and 21 other committee Republicans said they are “very concerned” about reports that the president has approved withdrawing about 9,500 troops from Germany, as well as capping the number of troops there at any one time to 25,000.

“We believe that such steps would significantly damage U.S. national security as well as strengthen the position of Russia to our detriment,” the Republicans wrote.

Right now, there are about 35,000 U.S. troops in Germany, where the headquarters for the U.S. European and Africa commands is located, and the number can be as high as 52,000. The presence is seen by the foreign policy establishment as integral to U.S. interests in Europe, such as countering Russia.

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