Jones: Search for new EUCOM bases progressing

www.stripes.com ^ | By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes

[bogdanPolska12]

By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes European edition, Friday, March 5, 2004

WASHINGTON — U.S. military leaders in Europe have made progress seeking out forward locations in Eastern Europe and Africa, both for training and to be well-placed for contingency operations, Gen. James Jones, commander of U.S. European Command, told Congress on Wednesday.

Jones told the Senate Armed Services Committee several model sites have emerged in the effort to reduce the U.S. footprint in Europe.

Jones lauded the potential installations for their infrastructure and wide-open spaces, where “urbanization is not coming to our door step,” he told the committee. Countries in Eastern Europe and Africa have expressed interest in accommodating the U.S. expeditionary bases, sometimes called “lily pads.”

But he declined to provide details to the committee, saying “the footprint of the U.S. force will be announced in due time.”

He said he is giving “great attention” to African nations because many provide adequate land, air and seas space for training. They also put U.S. forces in a better position to react to terrorist organizations, which are gaining footholds in the less-stable nations there.

On the training front, Jones mentioned Morocco, which is offering a range for naval training en par with what the Navy had on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, Jones said.

In April 1999, the Navy ceased dropping bombs on the island and has done limited live-fire training in the Gulf of Mexico, Navy officials said.

Jones, who also serves as NATO’s supreme allied commander, said he has started work on creating an intelligence center among the NATO partners to “bridge the gap and fuse the shortfall” in human intelligence-sharing. Currently, 19 countries make up NATO. It will expand to 26 later this year.

The idea piqued the interest of committee chairman Sen. John Warner, R-Va., who told Jones: “you’ll get a lot of support for that and maybe even a little money.”

And money was the hot issue for some senators who addressed questions to Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., expressed frustration over differing versions of time lines and funding problems posed by Army and Pentagon leaders on efforts to get more up-armored Humvees and fortifying kits into Iraq, and asked Abizaid to pledge to do his best to not only quickly equip the troops, but get extra money if he needed it.

Abizaid told Kennedy he doesn’t control Army funding plans to buy more of the Humvees.

“Well then, will you promise to tell us if you’re not getting the funding?” Kennedy asked.

“I will,” Abizaid pledged.

For Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., retention was the issue. He said he is hearing from families of activated guardsmen and reservists threats of a mass exodus of their service once they return home.

“I think we’ll pay a very heavy price,” McCain said.

But Abizaid said he routinely seeks feedback from the ground forces, and has a different impression.

“We should be concerned about the long-term effect on the guard, reserve and even the active force,” Abizaid said. “I haven’t detected from them the warning signs they’re going to leave in large numbers.”