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“The bottom line is: we basically are moving troops further east, closer to Russia’s border to deter them,” the Secretary said, speaking to Fox News on Sunday.

“Most of the allies I’ve either spoken to, heard from or my staff has spoken to, see this as a good move. It will accomplish all of those objectives that have been laid out. And frankly look, we still have 24,000 plus troops in Germany, so it will still be the largest recipient of US troops. The bottom line is the border has shifted as the alliance has grown,” Esper added, Sputnik reported.

The secretary also reiterated the Trump White House’s long-standing demand for Germany to “pay their fair share” in defense spending, and said that Berlin should pay even more than 2 percent of GDP outlined by NATO to help the alliance “stand up to the Russians”.

In the interview, Esper also commented on growing US tensions with China, accusing Beijing of failing to “follow international laws, rules or norms,” and of not living up to their commitments, “whether it’s with regard to Hong Kong…or their actions in the South China Sea (where) we have deemed their maritime claims to be unlawful.”

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