U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ordered the withdrawal of about 5,000 troops from Germany, a Pentagon spokesperson said on May 1.

“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,” spokesman Sean Parnell told The Epoch Times.

Parnell said the withdrawal could be completed over the next six to 12 months.

The announcement comes hours after tensions flared between President Donald Trump and Germany Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war.

Trump said on Wednesday the United States was reviewing a reduction of the nearly 36,500 active-duty troops stationed in the country.

Germany has the second-highest number of American troops stationed in any country, with Japan hosting the most.

U.S. troops have been stationed in the country continuously since 1945, after World War II. The latest withdrawal further diminishes the number of American troops in Germany after reaching a peak of 250,000 during the Cold War.

Merz has been an outspoken critic of Trump over the conflict in Iran. Merz told a group of students on Wednesday that “an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership,” referring to the United States, after little progress was made despite U.S. officials traveling to Pakistan for negotiations with Iranian officials.

Merz also said during a speech the next day that he had doubts about what started the Iran war.

“We in Germany and in Europe are suffering considerably from the consequences, for example, from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” Merz said. “This has direct effects on our economic performance. And therefore, I am pushing for this conflict to be resolved.”

Trump responded to Merz’s criticism on Truth Social on Thursday, telling him to stop interfering in the Middle East conflict.

“The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!), and fixing his broken Country, especially immigration and Energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat, thereby making the World, including Germany, a safer place!” Trump said in the post.

Trump has threatened to reduce or withdraw U.S. troops from Germany in the past, citing the NATO member’s insufficient spending on defense and other policies. During Trump’s first term in 2020, he said Germany failed to meet its obligation to spend at least 2 percent of its GDP on defense and proposed withdrawing nearly 12,000 troops.