Hegseth orders 5,000 US troops to withdraw from Germany

<p><a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2026/05/hegseth-orders-5000-us-troops-to-withdraw-from-germany/"><img width="1024" height="577" src="https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/04/hegseth-april-30-scaled-e1777673504407-1024x577.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto!important;" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/04/hegseth-april-30-scaled-e1777673504407-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/04/hegseth-april-30-scaled-e1777673504407-300x169.jpg 300w, https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/04/hegseth-april-30-scaled-e1777673504407-768x433.jpg 768w, https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/04/hegseth-april-30-scaled-e1777673504407-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/04/hegseth-april-30-scaled-e1777673504407-2048x1154.jpg 2048w, https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2026/04/hegseth-april-30-scaled-e1777673504407-180x100.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p><p>“This decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell wrote in a brief statement.</p>