Defense Secretary to Meet, Focusing on U.S. Military Deployment in Europe

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 12 - The German Ministry of Defense announced on the 11th that Defense Minister Pistorius will visit the United States and meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin on the 15th. According to foreign media reports, the two sides will discuss topics such as the U.S. military deployment in Europe.

U.S. Politico recently quoted NATO and U.S. officials as saying that Pistorius's visit to the U.S. will include attending a ceremony in Texas for the unveiling of a batch of F-35 fighter jets purchased by Germany. Given the previous disagreements between the U.S. and Germany over issues such as the Iran conflict and the Ukraine crisis, which have strained relations, the meeting between Pistorius and Austin is "of great significance."

Germany is one of the largest buyers of U.S. weapons in Europe. The current U.S. troop presence in Germany is about 38,000, the largest among European countries. The U.S. Department of Defense is currently reviewing the deployment of U.S. forces in Europe and is expected to submit at least four proposals to Austin by November 6.

In April, the leaders of Germany and the U.S. had a verbal clash over the situation in Iran. German Chancellor Merz stated that the U.S. military actions in Iran "lack strategy" and that the U.S. is "being humiliated by the Iranian leadership." Trump immediately "hit back," saying that Merz "doesn't know what he's talking about" and announced the withdrawal of thousands of U.S. troops from Germany. In May, Pistorius visited Canada but did not continue to the U.S. as is customary, highlighting the rift between the two countries. (Wang Yifan)