Defense official reveals alarming way US military learned about Trump’s troop withdrawal

An anonymous U.S. defense official revealed the branches of the U.S. military learned of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany “in real time,” without prior knowledge of the intended move, the AP reported Saturday.

Trump on Wednesday announced via a Truth Social post that his administration was “studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany.”

The announcement followed an assessment by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last week that insisted the U.S. is “being humiliated” by the war in Iran.

A Pentagon spokesman on Friday confirmed to Breaking Defense that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth “has ordered the withdrawal of roughly 5,000 US troops from Germany over the next year.”

Two Republicans who chair the congressional Armed Services Committees, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), on Saturday questioned the Pentagon’s decision, telling Punchbowl news“any significant change to the U.S. force posture in Europe warrants a deliberate review process and close coordination with Congress and our allies.”

But the AP’s report suggests the Trump administration isn’t even in close coordination with its own military branches. According to the AP, “A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said the branches of the U.S. military didn’t have prior knowledge of the decision to draw down the 5,000 troops and learned about it ‘in real time.’”

Responding to the official’s claim, acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez insisted the move followed “a comprehensive, multilayered process that incorporates perspectives from key leaders in EUCOM [U.S. European Command] and across the chain of command.”

According to Tom Malinowski, who served as assistant secretary of state under former President Barack Obama, Trump can’t actually withdraw troops from Europe without EUCOM commander Gen. Alexus Grynkewich independently certifying to Congress that such a move “won't hurt deterrence against Russia or U.S. [operations] in the Middle East [and] that allies have been consulted.”

“General officers also have a unique legal obligation to answer questions from Congress honestly,” Malinowski wrote on X. “So this will be interesting if Congress does its oversight."