Trump’s threat to pull troops out of Germany crashes into reality – POLITICO

BRUSSELS — U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to pull U.S. troops out of Germany — but turning a social media edict into an actual withdrawal is far more complicated.

Any American withdrawal would mean sinking billions of dollars into a yearslong process. Then there’s the usefulness of German bases to American global power projection. Without them, U.S. forces would face difficulties in prosecuting the war against Iran.

“Such a withdrawal would require long-term planning and entail significant costs,” said German liberal lawmaker Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who chairs the European Parliament’s Defense Committee. “The United States relies on this location, particularly with regard to operations in the Middle East.”