This isn’t gonna happen the way Esper is saying it will…
The prime reason for this is that Donald Trump is pissed at German Chancellor Merkel…And Trump doesn’t really care for NATO and American internationalism…
While Merkel and other leaders tried to get along with Trump a few years ago?
Most world leaders have given up on that….
It seems that they will all wait for the American election and hope like most Americans that Donald Trump will be gone from the Presidency in 6 months from now…
Esper and the general do NOT REALLY want do this…
Neither does either party in Congress and the moves , which would take months and probably years would cost the American tax payers billions and impact Germany’s economy…
Esper IS trying to do his best by planning to0 send some 0of the troops to other East Europe Countries…
But?
The perception is Trump is trying to make the Russian President happy by cutting down the number of American/NATO troops in Germany , Trump is giving Merkel the finger and Trump can say he brought some troops home saving money, which is simply NOT true…
The United States is cutting back its deployments in Germany by nearly 12,000 troops and shifting some of those forces around the continent, including relocating some units to Belgium and Italy, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper announced Wednesday.
About 6,400 troops are set to return to the United States.
The move is certain to rankle European leaders and anger lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who see the American troop presence on the continent, especially in Germany, as a cornerstone of post-World War II order.
“I am confident that the alliance will be all the better and stronger for it,” Mr. Esper told reporters. “We can see some moves begin within weeks.”
The Pentagon’s decision to cut American troops in Germany from roughly 36,000 to about 24,000 is in keeping with President Trump’s idea of “America First” and his deep-seated drive to bring home U.S. forces from wars launched after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
He also has vigorously demanded that European allies carry more of the burden for their own protection. In particular, he has long criticized Germany for being “delinquent” in meeting its commitment to spend 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense. The plan announced by Mr. Esper on Wednesday will affect American deployments to Germany more than any other NATO ally.
“This is so clearly a punitive move against Germany that its hard to see any benefit from this,” said Rachel Rizzo, the director of programs at the Truman Center for National Policy and who focuses on European security issues. “It really puts future administrations in a bind, it gives them no room to maneuver and will stick in Europeans’ mind well into the future.”
Mr. Trump addressed the issue when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday, stressing that Germany had not paid its full share for defense under NATO commitments.
“Germany is delinquent,” Mr. Trump said.
The outlines of the move, reported earlier in June by The Wall Street Journal, blindsided German officials and some American military officials, who have long seen the U.S. presence in Germany as the bedrock of the American commitment to NATO…
More…
Note…
Joe Biden as President would surely change this Pentagon tasking order up….