Bavaria’s Minister-President Markus Söder suggested on Tuesday that German military personnel could replace outgoing US troops.

“A possible troop withdrawal must be offset by the Bundeswehr, so that the affected bases are preserved and no defence infrastructure is lost,” Söder said on social media.

The southern state is probably going to be hardest hit by Donald Trump’s recent decision to pull 5,000 US troops out of Germany. According to media reports, the withdrawal will focus on a US mechanised brigade stationed in Vilseck, Bavaria.

Speaking on the sidelines of a cabinet trip to Brussels, Söder said that such “deployments are also quite important for the regional economy”.

Bavaria is home to one of the largest US training facilities outside the US with around 26,000 soldiers, their families, and civilian personnel.

The withdrawal of 5,000 troops or “significantly more” – as US President Trump put it – is expected be completed within the next six to 12 months, a Pentagon spokesperson said. Overall, the US currently has around 39,000 troops in Germany.

Söder urged the government to appeal to Washington to overturn its decision.

“A shrug or a roll of the shoulders just isn’t enough; a bit more effort is needed,” he said.

(at)