NATO cooperation has strengthened despite reports of looming U.S. troop withdrawal from Germany

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday said that despite President Trump’s reported plan to pull a host of American troops out of Germany, the U.S. and European allies are more productive in Europe than they have been in “many, many years.”

Mr. Trump has ordered the Pentagon to cut thousands of U.S. troops from Germany by September, according to a Friday report by the Wall Street Journal. The move would reduce the U.S. force presence in Germany by about 28%, pulling back 9,500 from the 34,500 who are now there.

The report quickly rattled Germany, which has since said it has not been formally notified by the Trump administration about the plans to withdraw troops from the long-time ally.

“European allies and the United States, we’re doing more together now in Europe than have done for many, many years,” Mr. Stoltenberg said during a virtual event hosted by the Atlantic Council.

When pressed on his views of the reported U.S. plan to pull U.S. troops from Germany, Mr. Stoltenberg declined to address the issue, but said he is “constantly consulting with the United States, with NATO allies on military posture and presence in Europe.”

He said the U.S. military presence has increased across Europe with American forces conducting exercises in Northern Europe, more rotational presence in Poland and Romania, and a heightened naval presence in Spain.

“The challenges that we face over the next decade are greater than what any of us can tackle alone,” Mr. Stoltenberg added. “Neither Europe alone, nor America alone, so we must resist the temptation of national solutions.”