Lieutenant General Christian Freuding fears the longstanding military partnership between the two allies is unravelling under President Trump’s administration
The Pentagon has “cut off contact” between American defence officials and their German counterparts, according to the head of Germany’s army.
The United States has traditionally treated Germany as one of its most important European allies. It is thought to have about 35,000 soldiers stationed at German bases such as Ramstein and Stuttgart, which serve as staging posts for American operations across Africa and the Middle East.
Since President Trump’s return to power in January, the relationship between the countries has become markedly cooler.
They’d simply go to war with Germany if they tried to kick out the soldiers, I fear. The US military is the proverbial 800-lb gorilla, and like the joke goes, it will sit wherever it damn well pleases under Trump.
What are you gonna do, tell the most powerful land and air and sea military on Earth “hey, you need to not be here”? What are you gonna do if they say “no”? Sure, you can declare war on them (because that WOULD constitute an invasion). Then what?