1,500 More

From Reuters:

"U.S. military to send 1,500 more soldiers to Germany by late 2020"

The U.S. military will station about 1,500 additional soldiers in Germany by September 2020, adding to more than 33,000 American troops already in the country in a move that could trigger fresh tensions with Russia.  Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested last month that NATO forces in eastern Europe posed a threat to Russia, a charge firmly rejected by NATO officials.  The U.S. Army’s European headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany, said the new forces would be permanently stationed in Germany as “a display of our continued commitment to NATO and our collective resolve to support European security.”   Sharp criticism of the NATO alliance by U.S. President Donald Trump had triggered fears that Washington could reduce defense spending in Europe and reduce its presence.   “The addition of these forces increases U.S Army readiness in Europe and ensures we are better able to respond to any crisis,” it said. The increased troop levels will still be far below those seen during the Cold War.  The troop increase was mandated by 2017 U.S. legislation that called for an increase in U.S. Army troop levels, with a significant portion of the increase to come in Europe. The U.S. Army said it would begin activating new units at several bases in Germany this year, including a field artillery brigade headquarters, two multiple launch rocket system battalions, and a short-range air defense battalion.    Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador in Germany, said the decision underscored Washington’s commitment to strengthening he transatlantic alliance, while planned military spending increases had improved security.    German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, a conservative who is battling the Social Democrat coalition partners to back a boost in German military spending, welcomed the decision.    “The U.S. decision to increase the military presence here in Germany is a welcome sign of the vitality of transatlantic relationship and a commitment to our joint security,” she said. 

^ The US really should step-back in NATO and start letting the other member states fend for themselves. For 70+ years the United States is constantly being told that we are the world's policemen and so why not let other countries try to do what we have been doing for all those decades and see if they can do any better? I doubt they can. We won World War 2. We won the Cold War. We did all of that while protecting countries that love to mock us. It's time those once-mocking countries put their "big boy/girl pants" on and start doing more to protect themselves and those around them. I bet that once those same countries try they see all the issues and problems that come with such responsibilities and come crying back to us to protect them once more - this time without all the mocking. ^

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-military-germany/u-s-military-to-send-1500-more-soldiers-to-germany-by-late-2020-idUSKCN1LN299