US troop counts by country: How pulling 5,000+ from Germany impacts Europe, global presence

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Published  May 3, 2026 6:32pm MST
FOX Local

Soldiers from the US Army in a simulated village during the Combined Resolve "Greywolves" exercise at the US military Hohenfels Training Area in Hohenfels, Germany, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Brief

    • The Trump administration plans to withdraw at least 5,000 U.S. service members from Germany.
    • Germany currently houses more American military members than any other European nation.
    • Japan is home to the most active-duty service members outside of the United States by far.

Despite the Pentagon forecasting the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. service members from Germany and President Donald Trump saying the final number will be much higher, tens of thousands of members of the U.S. military could still remain in the key European ally.

Heading into the year, Germany housed more American service members than any other nation on that side of the Atlantic Ocean and the second-highest total globally, Department of Defense numbers show. 

By the numbers:

The Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) reported there were more than 36,000 active-duty service members stationed in Germany. Add in reservists and civilian Defense Department workers and that figure jumps to nearly 50,000.
 

U.S. service members around the world

Big picture view:

With over 54,000 active-duty service members stationed in Japan, the active-duty troop level there at the end of 2025 was 50% higher than where it stood in Germany. With reservists and civilian workers, the overall figure for Japan eclipses 60,000 people. 

Active-duty deployments to Japan made up nearly a third of the 177,381 total reported at the end of last year. With reservists and civilian workers added in, that global number pushed past 237,000 people. 

Only three nations besides Germany and Japan were home to more than 10,000 service members:

  • South Korea: 23,495
  • Italy: 12,662
  • United Kingdom: 10,156

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What's next:

How many Americans – service members or civilians – end up being withdrawn from Germany remains to be seen. While the Pentagon offered the original 5,000-troop figure, Trump did not indicate how many he meant when he said the drawdown would go "a lot further."

Already, though, the plan is getting pushback on Capitol Hill. Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chairs of the Senate and House armed services committees, said they are "very concerned." 

The Source: Information for this article was taken from the Department of Defense and The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.

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