Trump is determined to bring home U.S. military forces from somewhere

By Karen DeYoung and Missy Ryan
7/21/2020, 7:00:00 a.m.

When President Trump spoke with Pentagon leaders early last month about U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan, he was anxious for a hefty reduction by Election Day in November, according to U.S. officials familiar with the discussion.

Reminded that withdrawals below the current level of approximately 8,600 — about the same as when Trump first took office — were contingent upon still-unmet conditions outlined in the U.S.-Taliban deal signed early this year, he questioned whether U.S. forces in Syria could be decreased.

Not advisable, Trump was told of the approximately 800 troops there, most still engaged in fighting the Islamic State and keeping Russia, Iran and Turkey from expanding their reach.

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Since taking office, Trump has been struggling to fulfill his 2016 campaign pledge to significantly reduce the nearly 200,000 American military personnel then overseas, already the smallest number in many decades. In countries such as Afghanistan, U.S. troops are merely serving as “police,” he has argued, while Germany, South Korea and others that could afford to defend themselves are getting U.S. protection on the cheap at taxpayer expense.

But Trump has been stymied at virtually every turn. While there have been some relatively minor shifts in distribution — and since 2017 the Defense Department no longer includes troops in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq in its unclassified, published tallies — the overall total of those serving abroad is believed to have slightly increased since Barack Obama left office.

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