The Peter Zeihan Podcast Series - Why U.S. Deployments in Germany Matter || Peter Zeihan

Episode Date: May 11, 2026

Relations between the U.S. and Germany are quickly deteriorating. German Chancellor Merz has criticized the U.S. for lacking a coherent negotiation strategy. President Trump responded by floating the idea of reducing U.S. troop deployments in Germany. It's one big mess.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3P7uYZw

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And because you're a listener, you get 20% off your first order. Just head to mood.com. That's M-O-O-D.com to get started. Hey, all, Peter Zion here. We recorded this video on German relations with the United States and the future of U.S. military power back on the 1st of May, that was Friday, for release today on May 4th. But events have kind of accelerated, so we need this little topper. Very, very short version is Donald Trump announced the imminent withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany.

So it's not a threat anymore. It's actually happening. This is the beginning of the end of the alliance with Germany specifically, which has huge implications for everything the United States does. But we'll get to that in the video. Hey, all, Peter Zeyn, here coming to you from Colorado. today we're going to talk about the most recent leg of the American alliance system that looks to be breaking. That is the relationship between the Americans and the Germans. The key issue is that last week, Mertz said, Mertz is the chancellor of Germany, said the quiet

part out loud that the United States doesn't have a negotiating strategy and doesn't even really have negotiators. And it's just kind of embarrassing to watch how the Iranians, who have both, are humiliating the Americans at every turn. It's an essential. assessment that is not particularly controversial outside of MAGA circles. The State Department has been gutted. The prime point person for American negotiations is Jared Kushner, not that he's incompetent, but his assistant is Steve Whitkoff, who is incompetent. And the only other person who's been involved to this point is J.D. Vance, who has never negotiated anything. So yeah, it's going really badly for the United States in these talks. And in the meantime, the global economy is starting

to sag something impressive. Anyway, Donald Trump, being a little sensitive, a little sensitive snowflake, decided that now is the time to talk about cutting the American troop deployment into Germany. So I thought it would be useful for everyone to understand what the United States gets out of that. There's this feeling in some parts of Washington, the American political spectrum, that the American deployments to Germany are about protecting Germany, and there is a degree of truth to that. But keep in mind that Germany has not been a frontline state since the expansion of NATO in the early 2000s. And now that's, there's this whole Poland thing between them and the Russians. So the two main facilities that the

United States has are an airbase in a hospital. Ramstein is one of the largest airbases in the world and allows the United States to project power throughout the European, the former Soviet spheres directly and then indirectly into the Middle East. We basically ferry troops and equipment through there. And then there's Landstall, which is the military hospital that over the course of the War on Terror served as the primary evacuation destination for any forces operating throughout the broader Middle East who were injured and in the end probably saved 100,000 lives. If you're going to slim down the American position to either of those facilities and collectively they are one of America's top three deployments, kind of moves around with Korea and Japan,

that is it for American power projection in Europe, in the former Soviet Union and in the Middle least. If we were to try to project power to any of those three regions without those German facilities, we would have no logistics support and no backup should something go wrong. And as we've seen in every single military conflict, the United States has ever been involved in any of those three regions, something always goes wrong. That's just the nature of war. We would also, and perhaps this is the one that will resonate more with some people, we'll also have significantly higher death rates. Landstall is a crisis center for medical needs. And so if you get hit by an IED or shrapnel, at the time it takes to fly you back to the American mainland, you're probably not going to

make it. But if you only have to make it to Germany, that's a different question. Anyway, bottom line is with the possible exception of American military forces in Okinawa in Japan, this is arguably the most important footprint the United States has anywhere in the world for power projection. And if a real effort is made to slim that down, you honestly can't slim it down too far before it simply becomes non-functional. It takes 30,000 American forces to keep these things open to the degree that's necessary to facilitate American military power. Now, if you just want to abandon the entire Eastern Hemisphere to its own devices, then yeah, by all of you. close it down. Just be prepared for spending a lot more than $2 trillion a year on the defense budget because at that point, doing everything alone means having to have the equivalent of

carriers stationed around the world at all times simply for logistical support. That is by far the most expensive way to do it. Let's be honest. Buying cannabis shouldn't be complicated, sketchy or low quality. That's why I want to tell you about mood.com. That's M-O-O-O-D. com. Mood ships federally legal cannabis straight to your door. No medical card, no hassle. And here's the kicker. The quality is better than anything you'll find at your local dispensary. Yeah, I said it. Whether you're into edibles, concentrates, flour, or just looking to explore, you'll find it all at mood. And it's not just the variety that makes them stand out. Every product is sourced from small American-owned family farms that care deeply about what they grow. It's cannabis you can trust, delivering

discreetly and ready to elevate your mood. And because you're a listener, you get 20% off your first order. Just head to mood.com. That's M-O-O-O-D.com to get started.