Opposition to the Withdrawal of US Forces from South Korea Arises Not Only in Europe but Also Within the United States

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Confusion continues after the United States announced its plan to withdraw troops stationed in Germany. Opposition is ongoing not only in Germany, where troops are withdrawing, but also within the United States. Although the U.S. Department of Defense has officially announced the withdrawal plan, there are expectations that the U.S. Congress will intervene, and everything remains uncertain.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the 29th of last month (local time), Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, held a press conference and announced a reduction of 11,900 U.S. troops stationed in Germany. If this reduction is realized, the U.S. military presence will shrink from 36,000 to 24,000 troops. This exceeds the previously expected reduction of about 9,500 troops. The U.S. Department of Defense plans to redeploy 5,600 of the reduced troops within Europe, while the remaining 6,400 will return to the United States.

Following the confirmation of the plan, strong opposition has arisen in Germany. Markus S?der, Minister-President of Bavaria, stated, "(This decision) unfortunately worsens the relationship between Germany and the United States," adding, "It is unclear which side benefits militarily." S?der also said, "We will assist all regions affected by the U.S. troop withdrawal," and "We will observe whether this reduction decision is final." Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Germany’s Minister of Defense, also expressed regret. Rolf M?tzenich, parliamentary leader of the Social Democratic Party participating in the coalition government, accused President Trump of "arbitrariness and pressure," and argued that defense cooperation should be approached from a new perspective.

The opposition Green Party even criticized that arms trade between Germany and the United States should be halted.

However, in Germany, attention is focused on the possibility that the U.S. Congress might overturn the decision to withdraw troops from Germany. In fact, opposition is present not only from the Democratic Party but also from the ruling Republican Party within the United States.

On the 30th, at the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Secretary of State Mark Pompeo was criticized by lawmakers regarding the decision to withdraw troops from Germany. Senator Mitt Romney said, "I heard from senior German government officials that they perceive this (redeployment decision) as an insult to Germany." He added, "The United States must stand with our friends to collectively confront Russia." Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen pointed out, "Russia will likely be the only country to publicly support the decision to withdraw troops from Germany."

Secretary Pompeo countered, saying, "From the U.S. perspective, Germany is no longer the frontline," and "Through this troop redeployment, some U.S. forces previously stationed in Germany can be positioned closer to Russian border areas." This means that troops withdrawn from Germany could be deployed near Russia.

However, doubts have also been raised about this. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to international organizations, warned, "If the 12,000 troops withdrawing from Germany are deployed to countries newly joined to NATO, it would violate the fundamental agreements between NATO and Russia."

Experts believe that this decision will intensify the threat from Russia. In the past, during President Barack Obama’s administration in 2012 and 2013, after U.S. troops in Germany were reduced, Russia invaded Ukraine the following year. Moreover, given the already strained relationship between President Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, this decision could further worsen relations between the two countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.