Brussels, 2 May 2026 (dpa/MIA) - NATO officials are coordinating with their US counterparts to ascertain the details of the withdrawal of some 5,000 members of the US military from their bases in Germany, an alliance spokeswoman said on Saturday.

"We are working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany," the spokeswoman posted on X.

"This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defence and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security - where we're already seeing progress since Allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP at the NATO Summit in The Hague last year," she added.

NATO remained confident in its ability to provide for deterrence and defence as this shift towards a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO continued, she said.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the pullback of around 5,000 US service members from bases in Germany. According to a Defense Department spokesman, the withdrawal is to be concluded within the next 12 months. The details remain unclear.

The decision follows a public spat between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after Merz accused the US of not having a strategy in the Iran war. The chancellor said the US was being humiliated in the war and did not have an exit plan.

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