In contrast to the plans of ex-President Donald Trump, the new US administration does not want to reduce its troops stationed in Germany – on the contrary: The US will send around 500 more soldiers to Germany from next fall, as Defense Minister Lloyd Austin did on Tuesday Announced visit of a member of the new US administration to Germany. Federal Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) spoke of “wonderful news” at a joint press conference in Berlin.
Austin praised the efforts of NATO partner Germany to increase defense spending and modernize the Bundeswehr. “Strengthening relations with Germany is one of the top priorities of the Biden government,” said the retired four-star general in a tone that clearly differs from that of the previous government. “We will continue to work with Germany and the rest of the allies in the region to strengthen our alliances and move forward.”
Kramp-Karrenbauer praised the step of increasing troops as a “strong sign of solidarity” and Austin as a “friend of this country”. The 67-year-old was once stationed in Germany as a soldier and emphasized his “personal appreciation” for the Federal Republic and its population as well as his “positive memories” of that time.
Around 34,500 US soldiers are currently stationed in the Federal Republic. Under the former US President Trump, the Pentagon announced a withdrawal of a third of the soldiers from Germany in July. Trump spoke of a kind of punitive action: Germany was not spending enough on its defense, was “in default” with NATO and was being protected by the USA. The plans caused great concern in Germany and also met with criticism in the USA.
US President Joe Biden put his predecessor’s plans on hold and is now turning around with the increase announced by Austin. After four years of extremely strained relations, the new administration in Washington is clearly trying to reposition itself as a strong partner for Germany, Europe and NATO.
In the dispute over the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, the Pentagon boss also adopted a conciliatory tone. The US government has expressed its opposition to the pipeline project. “But we will not allow this issue to stand in the way of the enormous relationships we have with Germany.”
Kramp-Karrenbauer linked the use of the Baltic Sea pipeline to Moscow’s behavior. The question of how much gas is passed through the pipeline must also be made dependent “on the behavior of Russia”, said the minister.
Nord Stream 2 should significantly increase the potential for Russian gas deliveries to Germany. There is criticism of the controversial pipeline both within the EU and from the USA, who are calling for the project to be stopped and the companies involved are threatened with sanctions. The background to this is concerns about the growing influence of Russia due to Germany’s heavy dependence on Russian gas.
At the meeting of the two ministers, German involvement in the Indo-Pacific region was also discussed. A few weeks ago, the federal government announced that it would send a Bundeswehr frigate there for six months from August. Kramp-Karrenbauer now emphasized the importance of free sea routes as well as human rights and multilateralism. Germany is ready to “set an example with our partners”. In the region, tensions between China and the USA had recently increased as Beijing expanded its presence in the Indo-Pacific.
mkü / jes
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