BERLIN — The United States will enhance its army presence in Germany by about 500 personnel to higher defend Europe, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III mentioned throughout a go to to the nation on Tuesday.
The assertion not solely reverses the earlier administration’s plans to withdraw up to 12,000 of the roughly 36,000 U.S. troops stationed in Germany. It additionally expands the U.S. footprint at a time when Europe is rising uneasy over Russian troop actions close to the border with Ukraine.
“These forces will strengthen deterrence and defense in Europe,” Mr. Austin mentioned after assembly his German counterpart, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. “They will augment our existing abilities to prevent conflict and, if necessary, fight and win.”
He didn’t elaborate on the added troops’ particular mission, saying solely that the change would “create more space, more cyber and more electronic warfare capabilities in Europe.”
The new contingent will likely be stationed in Wiesbaden, dwelling to one of many U.S. army’s most trendy installations in Germany. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Army Europe and about 3,000 troops and their households.
The change “will greatly improve our ability to surge forces at a moment’s notice to defend our allies,” Mr. Austin mentioned.
