U.S. Could Close All but One German Base

NYT.com ^

[Sub-Driver]

July 12, 2003 U.S. Could Close All but One German Base By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 6:41 p.m. ET

BERLIN (AP) -- Every U.S. military base in Germany except one supporting operations in Afghanistan and Iraq could be closed in a potential reorganization of American forces, the top U.S. commander in Europe said in an interview published Saturday.

The bulk of about 115,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe are in Germany, prompting analysts to forecast that thousands will leave once Pentagon planners decide how to adapt structures left over from the Cold War to new tasks such as fighting terrorism.

In an interview with a German newspaper, U.S. Gen. James Jones, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, said that while ``a row of concrete proposals'' on reorganizing U.S. forces across Europe already have been made, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has yet to make any decisions.

``Only the Ramstein base is not up for discussion -- it's too important,'' Jones was quoted as saying in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily. ``We would like to operate Ramstein for as long as we're welcome in Germany. I don't want to talk about the others.

``Basically, anything is possible.''

Ramstein Air Base, home of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and the 86th Airlift Wing, has been a key post for ferrying supplies to U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also is used by planes carrying U.S. casualties from those conflicts as it is near Landstuhl military hospital.

The United States already has announced its military withdrawal from Saudi Arabia and is expected to reduce the number of air and ground forces kept on large permanent bases hosted by allies such as Germany and South Korea.

Other American units based in Germany include the Army's V Corps based in Heidelberg, the 1st Armored Division in Wiesbaden and the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base.

Jones also said in the interview he has been ordered to begin planning for possible American military intervention in Liberia, an African nation founded by freed U.S. slaves that is engulfed by civil war.

The United Nations and European leaders have sought U.S. troops to enforce a repeatedly violated June 17 cease-fire between forces loyal to Liberian President Charles Taylor, an indicted war criminal, and rebels surrounding his capital, Monrovia.

Under the deal, Taylor promised to step down, clearing the way for a transitional government that would oversee fresh elections.

Jones also predicted a long engagement in Afghanistan for NATO, which takes command from Germany and the Netherlands of an international peacekeeping force next month.

He suggested the alliance remained open to calls from the United Nations and Afghanistan's shaky interim government to expand the mission beyond the Afghan capital, Kabul.

[Sub-Driver]

goodbye.......

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[DCBryan1]

Good. I'd like to see the American dollar "KAPUT". The rest of our "allies" should take a long, hard look at turning us down in our hour of need again.

[Dubya]

Good post.

[AntiGuv]

I believe the proper tone is: buh bye!

[rageaholic]

Excellent. Relocate them all to Iran and North Korea.

[Dog]

Bye-Bye!

[Prov3456]

As a former German teacher who studied a year in Freiburg, I say "Halleluyah!"

Since they didn't want to help us protect them from terrorist attacks and since they don't appreciate all that we have done for them in the past 50+ years, we should take our (unwanted by them) troops and the money they/we spend there and go somewhere that the people do want and appreciate us.

Auf Wiedersehen!

[Lauratealeaf]

We were stationed in Germany for three years and just returned last summer. We were stationed in Heidelberg. I am so glad to be home. Germany used to be a nice place to visit but I never felt at home there.

[Sub-Driver]

Be careful what you ask for!

[xzins]

I'll bet that they also keep the training areas at Hohenfels/Grafenwoehr. Although they have fewer restrictions at training areas in Poland and Czech, you just never throw away functioning training areas. All of them are useful.

This depends on how they garrison the fighting V Corp's 2 divisions, the 1st ID and the 1st AD. Perhaps they'll send them back to the US to reunite with their roundout brigades (Ft Riley watch out!)

If they do this then the plan might be for forward deployed cohort brigades to go to stragic garrisoning locations, fall in on prepositioned equipment, and take up whatever the local mission is. 6 months later, they would leave and be replaced by other brigades.

[Prodigal Son]

The thing with Graf (I'm not sure about Hohenfels) is it's a NATO training area. It would still be available to us no matter what (assuming our continued membership in NATO).

[A_perfect_lady]

HASTA LA VISTA.... BAY-BEE!! Now I wish their entire economy would collapse, and they'd be so desperate they'd invade France, and the two countries would DESTROY ONE ANOTHER!!!!!

(Ahem) No, of course I don't wish anything at all like that. I hope they do just fine.

HA!

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Schadenfruade alert. LOL! Piss on the socialist krauts.

[caltrop]

With no mission and maintained at enormous cost, our ground forces should have been out of there long ago. The proper place for our ground troops now in Germany is the US. Leave AF and naval bases in Europe, bring 99% of our GIs - and their dependents and the hospitals and schools needed to support them - home.

[armymarinemom]

If this keeps up my son will move twice before he leaves Iraq. He was stationed at Wiesbaden and they have announced that his unit is moving to Katterbach next year. I guess they could change that again.

[SandRat]

May I also suggest properly applying a combat boot to the shared US/German Military Training Bases here in the US!

There's one in northeast NM and one in southwwest TX that I know of.

While we are at it all Canadian and Frenchies have to go.

Any British or Australian troops and their families are welcome!

[Beck_isright]

Why are we keeping any bases in the Weimar Republic?

[armymarinemom]

Did you get tired of body odor when you were stationed there. My son complains about everyone having B.O. After a year in Germany and six months in Iraq he say's that he just wants a breath of fresh USA air.

[meenie]

I guess that according to all the comments, we should continue training Saudi pilots.