Former President Trump’s controversial order to pull thousands of U.S. troops from Germany is on hold as the Department of Defense conducts a review of the plan, officials said.
Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, commander of U.S. European Command, confirmed the pause in any future troop withdrawals during a briefing with reporters.
The Trump administration’s plan, announced during the summer, would have pulled about 12,000 U.S. personnel from Germany. About half would have been returned to the United States with the remaining troops being transferred to other countries in Europe.
Mr. Trump frequently accused Germany of not contributing enough money to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and said the country was benefiting financially because of the U.S. military presence there.
Critics said pulling thousands of U.S. troops would serve only to encourage Russian actions that would be adverse to security in the region.