Map Shows Where US Troops Are Stationed Across NATO Countries
U.S. military forces are stationed across Europe, though where the troops are deployed might change as the Trump administration considers punishing certain NATO allies for insufficient support during the war with Iran, officials told The Wall Street Journal.
Deployment data, compiled by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) citing the International Institute for Strategic Studies, shows tens of thousands of U.S. service members positioned across Germany, Poland, Italy, the United Kingdom and other European countries.
Why It Matters
If the Trump administration’s alleged proposal-to pull troops out of some NATO member states, such as Spain and Italy, and move them to countries judged to have backed the U.S. military campaign more strongly-gets congressional approval, it would mark a significant escalation in tensions within the alliance.
It comes as President Donald Trump has said he is considering the possibility of withdrawing the U.S. from NATO after renewed criticism of the alliance’s member countries, claiming that NATO failed to adequately support the U.S. and Israel in the conflict with Iran and did not assist attempts to reopen of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump previously criticized NATO allies for failing to meet defense spending targets and described U.S. troop deployments in Europe as an excessive financial burden.
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Where U.S. Troops Across Europe Are Located
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What To Know
U.S. forces have been stationed across Europe since the end of the second World War, and in the late 1950s, there were roughly 475,000 active-duty personnel deployed in the region, according to CFR. Numbers have since tapered off to tens of thousands.
The troops are in Europe for a wide range of reasons, from defense to providing logistics, training forces, assisting the transfer of weapons and others.
According to data gathered by CFS, roughly 80,000 to 90,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed across Europe, with the largest number of personnel in Germany. Germany serves as the headquarters for the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and houses major bases that support logistics, intelligence and rapid force projection across the region.
Significant numbers of U.S. troops are also stationed in Poland, Italy and the United Kingdom, while smaller deployments exist in Romania, Bulgaria and the Baltic states, such as Estonia and Lithuania.
These eastern deployments expanded following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Department of Defense said that by June 2022, it had deployed or extended more than 20,000 additional forces to Europe in response to the war.
What Happens Next
For now, no formal policy changes have been announced regarding the location of U.S. troops in Europe.
Newsweek's reporters and editors used Martyn, our Al assistant, to help produce this story. Learn more about Martyn.
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This story was originally published April 9, 2026 at 7:28 AM.