German and U.S. Army military police officers train together at U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria on Feb. 26, 2026. German officials are concerned about the economic and strategic impacts of a potential U.S. troop withdrawal from the country. (Tanisha Karn/U.S. Army)
STUTTGART, Germany — German officials this week said they are looking for ways to address the strategic and economic ramifications of a planned U.S. troop reduction that could upend small garrison towns where Americans have been a mainstay.
The Pentagon announced Friday that it plans to remove about 5,000 troops from Germany within six to 12 months, a move expected to affect the Vilseck-based 2nd Cavalry Regiment and cancel a planned long-range fires deployment.
The broader region of northern Bavaria, where Vilseck is located, is rural and sparsely populated and has long relied on the U.S. military as a security presence and economic engine.
Bavarian governor Markus Söder said Tuesday that if Berlin cannot persuade President Donald Trump to reverse the plan, then the German army should move into any garrison location that the U.S. military abandons.
“The federal government must take this very seriously and once again press the USA for the troops to remain,” Söder said on X. “A possible troop withdrawal must be offset by the Bundeswehr, so that the affected bases are preserved and no defense infrastructure is lost.”
U.S. soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment participate in exercise Saber Junction at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center near Hohenfels, Germany, Sept. 7, 2023. Headquartered in Vilseck, the regiment has been a target for withdrawal from Germany dating back to President Donald Trump’s first term. (Veronica Van Doran/U.S. Army)
Bavaria is home to large training grounds in the Grafenwoehr area and also hosts the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, the Army’s only brigade-sized combat unit in Germany. Media reports have indicated the Pentagon’s plan would affect such a unit.
The other unit expected to be removed is a long-range fires battalion that was set to deploy to Germany later this year.
Vilseck Mayor Thorsten Grädler said the withdrawal of troops would devastate the local economy and strike at the heart of the town’s identity.
About 4,500 soldiers along with hundreds of spouses and children are based in Vilseck. The tiny garrison town, which also has a population of 6,500 Germans, is a place where troops and locals have long blended together.
“You can imagine what such a scenario would mean for our region,” Grädler told Stars and Stripes.
Overall, the U.S. presence delivers a roughly $800 million boost annually, he said. While the loss of the regiment wouldn’t end that entirely, given other units and missions in Bavaria, it would still deliver a blow.
Vilseck faced a similar scare during Trump’s first term, when the 2nd Cavalry Regiment was slated to return to the United States. Those plans were eventually canceled by former President Joe Biden.
Some officials in Bavaria say they’re hopeful that the plans for a withdrawal will be shelved once again.
Hohenfels Mayor Christian Graf, whose town hosts a major Army training center, said no one from the U.S. or German government has said anything to him about a possible loss of U.S. troops.
“For 75 years, we have been living in a great relationship with the Americans that are being stationed here,” Graf said.
While the departure of 2nd Cav would be a blow to the region and complicate U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s missions on NATO’s eastern flank, some analysts and officials argue that the loss of a long-range fires unit could have larger strategic consequences.
The 3rd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, based at Fort Drum, N.Y., was intended to bring Tomahawks and other long-range weaponry to Germany as a stopgap while Berlin developed its own systems.
U.S. Army 2nd Cavalry Regiment snipers and German army officer candidates conduct pistol qualification at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Bavaria on Feb. 10, 2026. Bavarian governor Marcus Söder said the German armed forces should be prepared to move into any garrison location that the U.S. military abandons if a planned withdrawal of 5,000 American troops comes to fruition. (Nathanial Johnson/U.S. Army)
The decision to withhold the unit reinforces the need for the United States’ European allies to move faster in developing their own military capabilities.
“Europe must become stronger,” Söder said. “For this, we need our own European competencies and structures in the area of defense.”
That sentiment was echoed by security analysts. Without U.S. support, allies in Europe lack the kind of deep-strike capability needed to counter Russia’s ability to strike across vast distances.
“Europeans must redouble their efforts to acquire sovereign long-range weapons,” said Rafael Loss, an expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations.
“Strike drones, which Europeans are beginning to introduce into their armed forces, augment the tactical fight, but they lack the speed, range and punch to reliably deliver damage against large or hardened targets at distances beyond around 500 kilometers,” Loss said.
Meanwhile, Germany is unlikely to simply procure Tomahawks from the U.S. because American missile stockpiles have been stretched thin by the conflict in Iran, Loss said.