Ramstein mayor warns of 'disastrous' fallout from US troop withdrawal

The withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany announced by President Donald Trump will have a devastating impact on the communities hosting US bases, the mayor of Ramstein-Miesenbach told dpa on Sunday.

Ralf Hechler's town in south-western Germany is home to the Ramstein Air Base, the headquarters of the US Air Force in Europe. 

Washington has yet to announce which bases will be affected by the withdrawal, but Hechler explained that the move - which followed criticism of the Iran war by Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier this week - would have a "disastrous" impact if Ramstein-Miesenbach is affected. 

Including the families that would move away with the troops, the withdrawal could amount to up to 12,000 people, he explained. 

The municipality maintains infrastructure to cater for the high number of US residents. "If a large proportion were to leave permanently, that would be a painful economic blow," he said.

In the Ramstein-Miesenbach municipality, situated directly adjacent to the huge US Air Force base, almost 8,000 US Americans live with their families.

The economic impact of the US military presence in Ramstein amounts to more than $2 billion per year, including wages, rents and contracts for local firms.

Other towns in the region that saw US troops withdrawn after the end of the Cold War have never recovered from the blow, Hechler said. 

"They are still suffering from it today. Once the economic power is gone, it usually never comes back."

US military figures from April show some 86,000 US soldiers are currently stationed in Europe, including around 39,000 in Germany. The number changes regularly, partly because of rotations and military exercises.

Trump told reporters in Florida on Saturday that the withdrawals could rise beyond the 5,000 announced so far.

“We’re going to cut way down,” he said “And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”

Hechler said he sees no signs of the withdrawal affecting Ramstein so far. The largest US Army hospital outside the United States is currently being built in nearby Weilerbach at a cost of around $1.59 billion.

Concerning US foreign policy, Hechler said it was a shame that, after decades of harmonious coexistence between Germans and Americans, unrest was now emerging. "This is a mess we haven’t seen before," he said.