January 28 When he called the German Defense Secretary on the 27th, Lloyd Austin thanked Germany for accepting the U.S. garrison, which triggered speculation that U.S. President Joseph Biden might overturn the previous “drawal order”.
The Pentagon said in a statement that Austin talked with German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karenbauer on the phone that day to “thank Germany” for continuing to serve as a U.S. military garrison.
Reuters reported that Austin intends to re-examine the global deployment of U.S. troops, including the withdrawal order issued by then President Donald Trump last year.
At that time, Trump blamed Germany for not increasing the proportion of defense spending and paying enough money from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, saying that the United States “doesn’t want to be a fool anymore”.
According to Trump’s withdrawal plan, about 12,000 U.S. troops will withdraw from Germany, accounting for one-third of the total number of U.S. troops in Germany.
The U.S. European Command in the southwest German city of Stuttgart will be relocated to Belgium.
Austin has a different attitude. An American official who declined to be named said that Austin assured Kramp-Carrenbauer that the United States would negotiate with Germany in the future.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel talked with Biden on the 25th to congratulate him on his inauguration and invited him to visit Germany when circumstances permit.
