At the annual German-American Volksfest on the US military base in Grafenwöhr (a town in Bavaria that has hosted American forces since World War II), some 100,000 visitors gathered for a festival of country music, fairground rides, and hotdogs — yet the mood was clouded by uncertainty over the future of the US military presence in Germany. The Trump administration has ordered 5,000 troops withdrawn from Germany this year, out of a total of around 50,000 American military personnel and their families stationed there, raising fears for the tens of thousands of jobs — both on and off base — that depend on their presence. Political scientist and former NATO official Stefanie Babst warned that the withdrawal should be taken seriously, describing Trump as an unreliable partner and urging Germany to take greater responsibility for its own defence rather than depend on Washington.