German State Home to Ramstein Air Base Writes to Senate Armed Services Chair Wicker, Plans December Delegation, FARA Filing Shows

The German state that hosts Ramstein Air Base has written to Sen. Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, and plans to send a staff delegation to Washington in December, according to materials its lobbying firm filed with the Justice Department. The Digital Free Press reviewed the four-page filing, which DLA Piper US LLP submitted under the Foreign Agents Registration Act on Nov. 5, 2026.

The Letter to Wicker

The letter, dated Sept. 28, 2026, is from the Rheinland-Pfalz Ministry of the Interior, for Integration and Transport in Mainz, and is signed by Interior Minister Achim Schwickert. It is addressed to Wicker at the Russell Senate Office Building. The ministry's website says Schwickert has held the post since May 18, 2026.

Schwickert writes that the state is "host to a U.S. military community of approx. 50,000 American citizens (soldiers, civilian employees, and their families)," which he says makes it "home to the largest American community outside the United States."

He lists Ramstein Air Base, Spangdahlem Air Base and U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, including the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, and calls the combined U.S. presence "a crucial power projection hub for Europe, Africa and the Middle East." He writes that Germany is increasing defense spending, "responding to both the increased threat of Russian aggression against the Alliance and President Trump's calls for NATO members to step up their defense investments."

The December Delegation

The filing also includes a Nov. 2 email from Steven R. Phillips, a DLA Piper partner in government affairs. The filed copy does not show the recipient's name. Phillips writes that the firm works with the state "on various defense related issues," that the new minister "has sent the attached letter to your boss," and that a "staff-level delegation" will be in Washington on Dec. 8 and 9. He asks for a meeting on Dec. 8 from noon to 5 p.m. or Dec. 9 from 9 a.m. to noon.

He writes that the visit will also be "laying the groundwork for the visit of the new Minister of Interior that we expect in late spring." The material carries the required label saying it "is distributed by DLA Piper LLP (US) on behalf of the German State of Rheinland-Pfalz." The Justice Department's FARA database lists the state as a DLA Piper client since Sept. 25, 2003.

What Ramstein's Host State Is Asking For

"Our goal is not merely to maintain the status quo," Schwickert writes. He says he wants to "explore how we can further improve the environment at our bases" and to "continue and enhance our direct input and dialogue with Washington."

The letter does not mention any U.S. troop reductions. On May 1, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith, D-Wash., issued a statement criticizing what he called "President Trump's order that the Pentagon begin pulling 5,000 U.S. troops" from Germany.

Wicker will remain chairman until the new Congress takes office in January and then become ranking member as Democrats take control of the Senate, WLOX reported Nov. 5.

Sources: DLA Piper US LLP, FARA Registration No. 3712, informational materials on behalf of the German State of Rheinland-Pfalz, received Nov. 5, 2026 (https://efile.fara.gov/docs/3712-Informational-Materials-20261105-2.pdf); FARA eFile active foreign principals list for Registration No. 3712 (https://efile.fara.gov/api/v1/ForeignPrincipals/json/Active/3712); Rheinland-Pfalz Ministry of the Interior, Minister Achim Schwickert biography (https://mdi.rlp.de/ministerium/minister-achim-schwickert); House Armed Services Committee Democrats, statement of Ranking Member Adam Smith, May 1, 2026 (https://democrats-armedservices.house.gov/2026/5/smith-responds-to-trump-s-order-to-pull-5-000-u-s-troops-from-germany); WLOX, Nov. 5, 2026 (https://www.wlox.com/2026/11/06/us-senator-roger-wicker-reacts-shift-power-senate/). Cover photo: C-17 Globemaster III on the Ramstein flightline, by Senior Airman Armando A. Schwier-Morales, U.S. Air Force, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).