Trump administration officials said last week that their abrupt decision to pull 5,000 American troops from Germany was meant as a punishment, for German criticism of the war in Iran as well as what the Americans judged to be insufficient military support for their campaign.<\/p>\n
Germans, though, do not seem to feel particularly punished.<\/p>\n
Leaders in Berlin, German security analysts and other officials and citizens across the country have expressed little concern in the days following the announcement over losing a small chunk of the about 35,000 American troops currently stationed in the country. <\/p>\n
If they have any anxieties over the move, they appear more linked to the economic hit that could be felt in communities that depend on American military institutions, and not because the reduced troop count will make Germany less safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether there are now 5,000 more or fewer American soldiers actually stationed in Germany makes no difference at all,\u201d Robert Crumbach, the infrastructure minister for the German state of Brandenburg, said on Monday in an interview before a civic event in Potsdam, an affluent city just outside Berlin. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf there were to be a complete withdrawal, that would be a significant problem,\u201d he added. \u201cI\u2019m not opposed to that either, but it has to be a longer, very well-prepared process,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
America has long deployed large numbers of military personnel in Germany. Their role was first to occupy and stabilize the country after World War II; then to deter Soviet threats during the Cold War; and more recently to support American operations in wars from Afghanistan to Iraq.<\/p>\n
Mr. Trump attempted, and failed, to reduce that presence in his first term. After returning to the White House, he did not revisit the issue until last week, when Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, criticized America\u2019s Iran war strategy and said Iran had \u201chumiliated\u201d America with its approach to peace negotiations.<\/p>\n
Mr. Trump vented fury at Mr. Merz\u2019s remarks on social media. By midweek he was threatening to pull troops. On Friday, the Pentagon said it would follow through, by removing 5,000 over the next year. <\/p>\n
German officials projected calm at the news. For most of the weekend, their only response came from Boris Pistorius, the defense minister, who called the announcement \u201cforeseeable.\u201d <\/p>\n
On Sunday, in a television interview, Mr. Merz expressed no alarm over the decision. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey are constantly redeploying their troop units worldwide, and we are affected by that too,\u201d Mr. Merz said. \u201cThat has always gone up a bit and down a bit in recent years.\u201d<\/p>\n
This measured response shows that German leaders are learning not to get too caught up in Mr. Trump\u2019s rhetorical roller coasters, said Julia Friedlander, the C.E.O. of Atlantik-Br\u00fccke, a nonprofit that promotes German-American partnership.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing sets them off in a panic, compared to the first administration,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n