Letter to the Hon. Donald Trump, President of the United States - Proposed Troop Reduction Would Harm America's Security

Letter

As Republican Members of the House Armed Services Committee, we are very concerned about
reports that the Administration is considering a significant reduction of U.S. troops currently
based in Europe as well as a cap on the total number of U.S. troops which can be present there at
any one time. We believe that such steps would significantly damage U.S. national security as
well as strengthen the position of Russia to our detriment.

We strongly believe that NATO allies, such as Germany, should do more to contribute to our
joint defense efforts. At the same time, we also know that the forward stationing of American
troops since the end of World War II has helped to prevent another world war and, most
importantly, has helped make America safer.

In Europe, the threats posed by Russia have not lessened, and we believe that signs of a
weakened U.S. commitment to NATO will encourage further Russian aggression and
opportunism. In addition, the overall limit on troops would prevent us from conducting the
exercises that are necessary for the training and readiness of our forces and those of our allies.

The troop limit would also significantly reduce the number of U.S. forces that can flow through
Germany for deployment to bases around the world, causing serious logistical challenges.
Over 75 years of investments and of sacrifices have led to NATO being the most successful
alliance in history. But its work is not done. While we should continue to work to improve
NATO and to spread its costs more equitably, we believe that our continued strong involvement
in the alliance is fundamental to our nation's security and integral to protecting our people.

Withdrawals and limitations of the kind being reported would make that job more difficult.
We urge you to reject such proposals. Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.