Boris Pistorius

Force in Play

Publicly accepting; pushing European defense buildup

U.S. troops have been stationed in Germany continuously since 1945. On May 1, 2026, the Pentagon began rolling back a piece of that posture: roughly 5,000 service members—about one in seven Americans currently in the country—will leave over the next 6 to 12 months, taking a full brigade with them. A long-range fires battalion that the U.S. had pledged to deploy at the 2024 NATO summit, designed to put deeper-strike weapons on alliance soil for the first time since the Cold War, was cancelled in the same order.

Updated Yesterday

Force in Play

Conditioning German participation on ceasefire and international mandate

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shut the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, 2026, after US-Israeli strikes — choking off roughly a fifth of global oil supply. A Pakistan-mediated two-week ceasefire agreed around April 8 paused direct hostilities but failed to reopen the strait: Iran charged ships up to $2 million in tolls through an alternate channel north of Larak Island. After the first face-to-face US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad collapsed on April 12 over Iran's refusal to abandon its nuclear weapons program, President Trump announced a naval blockade of all Iranian ports, effective April 13. Then, on April 17, Iran's Foreign Minister declared the strait "completely open" for commercial vessels for the remaining ceasefire period — briefly sending oil prices sharply lower. Within 24 hours, Iran reversed course entirely: the IRGC re-closed the strait on April 18, fired on the VLCC tanker Sanmar Herald approximately 20 nautical miles off Oman, and forced two Indian-flagged ships to turn back, warning that any vessel approaching the strait would be treated as "cooperating with the enemy." Iran cited the continuing US blockade of its ports as a ceasefire violation justifying the re-closure. On April 19, Iran confirmed it had received new US proposals transmitted via Pakistan and said it was reviewing them.

Updated Apr 19

Force in Play

Proposing NATO Arctic Sentry mission

The United States has operated military bases in Greenland since 1941, under agreements with Denmark. On January 15, 2026, NATO allies deployed troops to the island to counter U.S. pressure after American-Danish talks collapsed. On January 17, President Trump announced 10% tariffs on eight European countries—Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom—rising to 25% by June unless 'a deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.' On January 20, Trump declared on Truth Social that 'there can be no going back' on Greenland, calling it 'imperative for National and World Security.' That same day, Denmark deployed its Army Chief, General Peter Boysen, alongside 58 additional troops to Greenland, bringing total Danish military presence to approximately 178 personnel for Operation Arctic Endurance.

Updated Jan 21

New Capabilities

Driving Germany’s rapid procurement push and European air-defense leadership pitch

Germany just decided it doesn’t want a “nice-to-have” missile shield. It wants a real one. On December 17, the Bundestag approved a major expansion of Germany’s Arrow 3 procurement from Israel—roughly $3.1 billion more—turning a landmark deal into something closer to a national mission.

Updated Dec 17, 2025