AP
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Germany’s Federal Minister of Defense, receives U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday in Berlin.
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BERLIN — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Tuesday that he is expanding the U.S. military presence in Germany by 500 troops and has stopped planning for large-scale troop cuts ordered by the Trump administration.
“This planned increase in U.S. personnel underscores our commitment to Germany and the entire NATO alliance,” Austin said in a notable counterpoint to the Trump administration’s repeated complaints that Germany is a weak partner on defense and security.