[kogus]

If this is the Trump Administration's "punishment" for "disloyalty", then we are in for a treat. Hopefully US forces can also be withdrawn from Japan, Iraq, Italy, Guam, and the other 180 locations where they are currently unnecessarily stationed.

[arvid-lind]

I'm thinking it's meant to appear as a punishment for disloyalty, but withdrawing troops like this only hurts the US and NATO. As we've seen in the Middle East recently, the hosts don't get any kind of security guarantees.

Overall it meets the primary directive of this administration, which is to weaken the United States as a superpower and make way for Russia.

[pohuing]

It does remove money from local economies. The drawdown of the British hurt my regional economy quite a bit.

[arvid-lind]

That makes sense. It's like packing up a very small city of US influence abroad, just more embarrassing self-destructive petulance from Trump. He probably wants a headline that looks like he's hitting back more than anything.

[tharkun__]

Withdrawing 5k troops that are probably just rotational troops that ... go home without replenishment is different from actually shutting down bases.

Unless Germany denies the US Ramstein airbase and spying operations, you can safely bet they'll stay. Even if they withdraw everything that isn't required to just keep operating the airbase and listening posts, they'll at least keep those around for as long as they are able to actually use them.