rump says he ‘might’ move US troops to Poland from Germany – Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Warsaw should not “poach” troops from allies.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he “might” move U.S. troops from Germany to Poland, as the Pentagon prepares to pull around 5,000 American soldiers out of Germany over the next year.
“Poland would like that,” Trump told journalists on Friday when asked about the prospect. “We have a great relationship with Poland. I have a great relationship with the president. … I like him a lot, so that’s possible.”
Trump’s bombshell in response to Merz’s criticism – U.S. to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany.
The U.S. is getting serious. According to his department, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany. The withdrawal is expected to be completed within six to twelve months, the department announced on Friday evening (local time).
U.S. President Donald Trump (79) had threatened to withdraw a few days ago. Earlier, Chancellor Friedrich Merz had said that the Iranians would humiliate the U.S. in the negotiations to end the war, which has been ongoing for two months. However, the already strained relationship between the U.S. and most of its other NATO allies had continued to deteriorate in the weeks leading up to that.
Trump threatens to reduce troop numbers in Germany amid growing row with Nato allies – US president’s threat comes after Germany’s Friedrich Merz suggests Trump team is being outplayed in its negotiations with Iran.
Marco Rubio said essentially nothing different than J.D. Vance did here last year. But go ahead and welcome it this time, Europe, if it makes you feel better.
EU leaders welcome US tone shift in Rubio’s Munich speech – While European leaders cautiously welcomed a softer tone from the US at the Munich Security Conference, American independence and the “Trumpian narrative” remained top of mind for Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West’s managed decline. We do not seek to separate, but to revitalize an old friendship and renew the greatest civilization in human history.”
Says the leader of Germany, a country that is not powerful enough to “go it” with the help of partners and allies.
Meaning, I suppose: “But we’ll help you if you ask nicely.”
US ‘not powerful enough to go it alone’, Merz tells Munich conference – German chancellor rebuts idea of American unilateralism and says ‘democracies have partners and allies.’
The US acting alone has reached the limits of its power and may already have lost its role as global leader, Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, warned Donald Trump at the opening of the Munich Security Conference.
Merz also disclosed he had held initial talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, over the possibility of joining France’s nuclear umbrella, underlining his call for Europe to develop a stronger self-standing security strategy.
From drones. It’s illegal or something here in Germany.
So we’ll send our drone-defense experts to help some other country. Keeps them busy.
German Luftwaffe dispatches drone-defense experts to help Belgium – The German military has sent specialists to Belgium to help authorities there combat drones following sightings near crucial military facilities, including those housing nuclear weapons.
The Bundeswehr announced the move in a press release late Thursday. According to the military, first units of the Luftwaffe – Germany’s air force – have already arrived in Belgium, where they are investigating the situation on the ground and coordinating with the Belgian armed forces. Further German forces would “soon follow,” the military said.
Germany’s Merz warns against ‘false nostalgia’ over US alliance – The chancellor’s comments show European leaders are girding for a future in which the transatlantic alliance is no longer the bedrock on which the continent’s defense and economy stand.
“We must face the fact that our relationship with the U.S. is changing, The U.S. is reassessing its interests — and not just since yesterday. And so we in Europe must also adjust our interests, without false nostalgia.”
Duh. Because the Bundeswehr cannot shoot them down.
They don’t have the means.
Russian spy drones over Germany: Why the Bundeswehr cannot shoot them down – Russia uses surveillance drones over eastern Germany to monitor Western arms deliveries to Ukraine. German authorities are struggling to counter these espionage activities.
Russian surveillance drones are conducting reconnaissance flights over eastern Germany to track arms shipments to Ukraine, with over 530 drone sightings recorded in the first three months of this year alone, according to Western intelligence services.
They track the ever-changing routes of European military transports to identify which weapons will soon reach Ukraine, where new war equipment will be delivered, and when new ammunition will arrive at the front.
The best part is that there are never any consequences… Right? Even when spending the money you don’t have is never actually spent.
Germany’s borrowing spree plans face a reality check – Investors would be wrong to overstate concerns about a debt surge by the country.
Germany has had an abrupt awakening on the need to increase defence spending. The country enjoyed an oversized peace dividend for years: before the Berlin Wall fell, west Germany spent almost 3 per cent of GDP on defence. In the three decades after 1993 that ratio dropped to around 1.2 per cent annually. Military capabilities fell commensurately.
Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the election of a US president given to venting misgivings about European allies, a hectic scramble has ensued to make up for lost time. As chancellor, Olaf Scholz declared a “Zeitenwende” (or historical turning point) and parliament approved a €100bn debt-financed special fund for defence spending…
Nevertheless, markets would be wrong to overstate the German debt surge. The government’s ambition will probably be thwarted when the plans get in contact with reality. Appropriating borrowing permission is much easier than actually spending it. Scholz’s military special fund is a case in point. Up to April, halfway through its life, only around a quarter of the money has been disbursed.
What difference does it make if nobody is interested in defense?
Few Germans willing to take up arms to defend country, survey shows – Nearly 60% of Germans say they are not prepared to defend their homeland with weapons if Germany were attacked militarily.
Only 16% of Germans would “definitely” be willing to defend their country with weapons in case of a military attack, according to a new poll released Monday.
The Forsa Institute survey revealed widespread reluctance among Germans toward military engagement, despite repeated warnings from political and military leaders that the country should prepare for a potential armed conflict.
A clear majority—59%—indicated they would “probably not” or “definitely not” be prepared to defend Germany militarily if attacked. Among women, this reluctance was even higher at 72%.
Observing Hermann 