US to station 500 more troops in Germany in ‘message to Nato’

Bloomberg

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that 500 additional troops will be stationed in Germany from the fall, marking a reversal of former President Donald Trump’s planned draw down.
President Joe Biden, said in February he was freezing Trump’s plan to withdraw about 9,500 soldiers from Germany — a move that had stunned European and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) allies and generated bipartisan protest in the US Congress.
After talks with German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in Berlin on Tuesday, Austin told reporters that the extra troops — who will be based in the Wiesbaden area near Frankfurt — will provide
“additional capabilities in space and cyber, and some other issues.”
Asked whether the decision was a signal to Russia linked to their recent buildup of forces near the Ukrainian border, Austin replied that it’s “a message to Nato, that we support Nato in the fullest extent.” He also emphasized that US opposition to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany would not affect the “tremendous relationship” between Washington and Berlin.
“Most importantly, we value our relationship with our partner here in Germany,” he added. “What I emphasized to the minister today is that we’re no longer making any plans” to withdraw troops.
The US is “very encouraged” by increased German defense spending, Austin said. “We will also encourage the minister to continue on a positive glide path and shorten the timeline if at all possible,”
he added. Kramp-Karrenbauer said the announcement of more troops was “wonderful news” and a “very strong sign of solidarity.”
“From our side, we will do everything possible to make sure that these 500 troops and their families find a comfortable second home here, and that when they leave they do so only with the best memories,” she said.