The United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has stated that there are currently no short-term plans to reduce American troops stationed in Europe. However, he has promised to review the military deployments of the United States globally to ensure that forces are positioned in the most suitable areas.
Hegseth, during his visit to the U.S. military base headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany on Tuesday, February 11, told reporters that the U.S. will continue to maintain a military presence in Europe. He emphasized that the responsibility for safeguarding the security of the region should not solely fall on the United States.
“Europe should be free from any threats of aggression, but the countries in this region should be the ones investing the most in defense. That is common sense. You should defend your own homeland, and the U.S. will stand shoulder to shoulder with you to defend security,” Hegseth said.
“The United States should maintain a prudent watch, plan well, identify priorities, and project power where conflicts need to be contained,” Hegseth stated. “We do not want to engage in conflict with China (Chinese Communist Party)… ‘to seek peace through strength’ is the way to prevent conflict.”
According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Defense, there are currently approximately 100,000 troops deployed across various parts of Europe, with over one-third of military forces stationed in Germany.
Furthermore, Hegseth mentioned that the U.S. presence in Europe partly depends on the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, with former President Trump vowing to end the conflict. Hegseth reiterated President Trump’s call for allies to increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product.
Hegseth also stated that the review of U.S. military deployments will encompass the size of American forces stationed in Africa and other potential conflict regions.