Posted on 03/28/2004 5:36:02 AM PST by knighthawk
WUERZBURG, Germany - As host to 170,000 American soldiers and dependents, Germany has a lot to lose under Pentagon plans to shift forces out of western Europe, and officials in areas facing a pinch are lobbying heavily for them to stay.
Economic survival for their communities, more than security, is the concern for these supporters of a continued U.S. presence in their regions, where ties are deeply rooted despite Germans' current criticism of U.S. policy in Iraq.
Many of the communities depend on business and jobs generated by the bases, located mainly in economically weak regions of southern and western Germany.
''We realized that our installations are in grave danger,'' said Karl Peter Bruch, a state official in Rhineland-Palatinate who heads an effort to lobby U.S. officials. ``And then came the question, what can we do to make us more attractive?''
The tactic has drawn mixed reviews from the Americans, who have some 80,000 military personnel with 94,000 family members in Germany.
The issue has nothing to do with Germany being unattractive, U.S. officials say. It's part of a global realignment to meet changing threats centered in Central Asia and the Middle East.
''We're still sitting where we were at the end of the Cold War,'' said Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Kohler, the U.S. European Command's point man on planning for force realignment.
But letting go is not easy for towns like Wuerzburg, where the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division has been stationed since after World War II. It is frequently mentioned as a candidate to return to the United States.
At a recent farewell ceremony for soldiers departing Wuerzburg for Iraq, Bavaria's governor stressed the Army's importance to his state.
'Dear soldiers, your presence in Bavaria . . . is indispensable to peace and stability in Europe and is a key element in our trans-Atlantic relations. The U.S. Army, `our' 1st Infantry Division, must remain in Bavaria,'' said Gov. Edmund Stoiber, a leading conservative who narrowly lost national elections in 2002 to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats.
STRAINED RELATIONS
Schroeder's relations with Washington were strained by his strong opposition to attacking Saddam Hussein's regime. But U.S. officials made it clear they're pulling forces out of Germany because of the changed international threat, not as punishment.
Nonetheless, German officials aren't giving up. Mayors from host cities across Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate traveled to Washington in the fall to argue the benefits of keeping bases in Germany: solid infrastructure, good quality of life and decades-old friendships.
Even though critical sites in Rhineland-Palatinate such as Ramstein Air Base and the Landstuhl medical center appear likely to stay, Bruch figures his state should do even more, since entire regions depend heavily on the $1.4 billion and 27,000 local jobs the U.S. military generates.
With German-U.S. working groups, Bruch toured all the American bases in the state to learn what they need and what would make them attractive to the restructured U.S. military.
HOUSING
A key issue was decrepit housing that didn't meet the latest U.S. security needs, so Bruch has raised about $130 million in private funds for renovation and construction of new housing for the Americans.
He also hired a Washington-based consultant and traveled to the U.S. capital to make his case. American officials reacted positively and invited him to return this spring with concrete plans for new military housing, Bruch said.
''There had been other delegations, including one from Bavaria that talked about how beautiful the mountains are,'' Bruch said. ``But we were the only Germans who went there and presented a concept.''
While in Washington, Bruch also learned more about the U.S. Army's introduction of small, highly mobile units called Stryker brigades. U.S. officials are looking to base them at strategic locations where they can train but also be ready to deploy quickly.
''That would be ideal for Baumholder,'' Bruch said, referring to a base with a large training area near Ramstein where parts of the 1st Infantry Division are now stationed. He plans to make that pitch in Washington.
Officials at European Command say they expect to have a solid picture of the future force structure in Germany by early spring.
TASK FORCE
Some cities are not waiting to find out if they are on the list of closings.
In Bamberg, which also hosts units of the 1st Infantry Division, city officials have set up a task force to grapple with issues like a flooded real estate market if the Army should vacate its 500 apartments.
First, I do agree we should dump Germany as a strategic and tactical ally...moving troops to Poland among many choices from our coalition is a good idea.
Please note; similar to the US, there are political and cultural differences within Germany. The Southerners (Bavarians) are more conservative and mostly pro-American. The North/Easterners (i.e. Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Berlin) are more socialist and much more anti-American.
The irony here is that the result of "The Reagan Challenge" [Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall] is the massive influx of socialists and socialism from the East Germans that has totally tipped the balance in Germany and against the USA.
How appreciative.
Bavaria was a separate country and many there would like to see that again...maybe we should feed that 800 pound gorilla...Go Bavaria! I like Munich and Regensburg and Konstanz and Passau much better anyway...
It has no choice -- witness Spain. If it doesn't cooperate in stopping the WOT it can and will be one of the necxt targets. Don't forget Hamburg's role in 9/11. Germany may hate America (witness the last presidential election, their lack of support on Iraq, etc.) but the LOVE our money.
Let the EU pay for its own military. We have no debt to pay to keep our troops there to help its economy or butress it.
Now that Spain has shown its true colors, all od Old Europe can strangle on it own socilaist economic mailaise.
Don´t forget to think when writing a rant, with all respect. ;)
I know rants. I've written rants. What I wrote to you was no rant.
Excuse me, but following your reasons: why are the regimes in Iran, N Korea, Syria, etc still in power?
You don't take out castles and queens in the early game, unless your opponent foolishly exposes them. You're asking why haven't we taken out the queen and rooks ten moves into the game. Are you trying to make the argument that we have an option in the upcoming election that would pursue Americas enemies more vigorously than the Bush administration, and that has a chance of being elected?
Germany is an ally in the WOT, and there´s no need to say we Germans were "against you".
You may have me confused with others who have posted. I have made no disparaging statements about Germans on this thread. Your statement was that Iraq had nothing to do with the war on terror. I refuted. BTW, welcome to the US. Enjoy your visit.
Sorry, I know some of the few of you good guys get caught up in the jet wash but what can I say? From what we can tell, MOST EU'ers hate America and ALL Old Europe Governments do.
All we can do is pull out and let you fend for yourselves. A little self-support will do you wonders! Pay for your own military for a few decades.
You can't have it both ways GERMANY....why would we keep helping/holding up your economy with our military, after your non support in the UN and your continued NON SUPPORT.
WAY TO GO RUMSFELD...stick it too GERMANY
Let's move those bases to Poland.
Friendly Government. Good Beer. Pretty women.
Yep, I knew guys who never saw more of Germany than the nearest bar.
The Germans treated me great wherever I went.
The most striking cultural difference I saw ( I was just a kid) was when I went to a Stones concert and they all just calmly sat in their seats the whole show, politely applauding after each song!
Time to move the heavy stuff to our new Iraqi Training Center.
I think if it wasn't for Bosnia and Kosovo we would have left Germany 5 years ago.
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