Posted on 08/13/2004 7:04:03 PM PDT by HAL9000
The US is expected to announce on Monday that it is pulling 70,000 troops out of Europe and Asia in the largest restructuring of its global military presence since the second world war.People briefed on the plan say two-thirds of the reductions will come in Europe, most of them military personnel stationed in Germany who will be sent back to US bases.
An additional 100,000 support staff and military families worldwide will be part of the realignment.
The changes are expected to be announced by President George W. Bush at a speech to the Convention of Veterans of Foreign Wars in Cinncinatti, Ohio, on Monday.
Although Germany will remain home to the largest contingent of American forces on the continent, both army divisions now based there the 1st Armoured and the 1st Infantry could be moved to US bases.
Germany will continue to be home to sophisticated training and command facilities and to a mobile infantry force which will be equipped with the new light-armoured Stryker vehicles and is expected to form the core of a restructured European presence.
The Bush administration has been re-evaluating the US military's global posture almost since its first days in office. Senior Pentagon officials emphasised that the move was not intended as a punishment for Germany's lack of support in the Iraq war.
In Asia, the reduction is expected to include the 3,500-soldier brigade from South Korea, which was recently deployed to Iraq.
There will also be a shift of some European command headquarters. The navy's European HQ, which has been in London since the second world war, will be moved to Naples.
sending home voters?
May be it's more than just sending home voters. Suppose the misery is about to spread...? In that case, the US of A will badly need those 70,000 troops within its own borders.
There goes their economy.
They bit the hand that feeds them.
Don`t worry, the French will be happy to spend the $$ it will take to replace our troops, right?
Next time we ask for a hand, maybe you'll remember how much money you made off our soldiers and airmen.
It is about time that we started leaving the Franco-German Empire, er, um, Europe. Let them foot more of the bill for their own defence. Also, those 70,000 troops will be needed for the WoT.
> The US is expected to announce on Monday that it is
> pulling 70,000 troops out of Europe and Asia in the
> largest restructuring of its global military presence
> since the second world war.
Hey, finally an exit strategy for all those wars that
dems got us into :-)
Looks like we are keeping graf and landsthul, wonder if we will keep solider field in Nurnburg and the AG Farben building in Frankfurt?
Sorry "OLD EUROS".......!
Put them on the U.S. borders...
Good. It's about time.
#1 - China is preparing for war? Oil is short because Red China is stock piling it en mass. They're also mass producing planes at a record pace.
#2 - Boarder control?
#3 In case there needed for marshall law in case of another MAJOR 9/11 event (like suitcase nukes?)
Two-thirds of 70,000 personnel, not counting their families. What is German for "Ouch!"?. The U.S. has been through something like it with all our base closings and entire local economies tank.
Time that our "allies" start taking care of their own bills! We've carried them for far too long now.
About bloody time
Let me guess. Kerry will be against this.
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