Shaheen, Romney Lead Measure to Defense Bill to Limit Troop Reductions in Germany

(Washington, DC) —In response to the Trump administration’s recent announcement to significantly reduce the U.S. troop presence in Germany, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)—a senior member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees—introduced an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would limit the use of funds to reduce the number of members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty in Germany.

Specifically, the amendment would prevent funds from being used to reduce the number of troops serving in Germany until the Secretary of Defense submits a report to Congress and then certifies to Congress, after consultation with the allies of the United States, that such a reduction:

• Is in the national security interest of the United States;
• Will not undermine the security of United States allies and European partners;
• Will not undermine the deterrence and the defense posture of NATO;
• Will not pose unacceptable risk to the ability of the Armed Forces to execute contingency plans of DoD;
• Will not adversely impact operations of the Armed Forces, including operations of United States Central Command and the United States Africa Command;
• Will not negatively impact military families;
• Will not result in significant additional costs for redeployment and relocation of U.S. troops.

“The United States’ military presence in Germany is mutually beneficial to both nations, and bolsters the transatlantic alliance. It’s also an invaluable hub for U.S. military operations,” said Senator Shaheen. “The administration’s withdrawal plans would inflict lasting damage to our transatlantic relations and harms our national security. I’m proud to support this bipartisan amendment and hope that the Senate takes this opportunity to send a resounding message to the administration and our allies alike that the United States stands firmly with our allies.”     

“The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Germany would be a gift to Russia, and that’s the last thing we should be doing,” said Senator Romney. “In addition to undermining our NATO alliance, a withdrawal would present serious logistical challenges and prevent our military from performing routine military readiness exercises. I urge my colleagues to take up our measure to prevent such a reduction in troops deployed to Germany. We cannot abandon our commitment to our allies, and instead must strengthen our alliances in order to reign in the world’s bad actors and promote the values of freedom and democracy around the world.”

Text of the amendment can be found here.

Senator Shaheen, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, slammed the President’s decision earlier this month to reduce U.S. troops in Germany.