Bring The Legions Home

The Magazine Of Future Warfare ^ | July, 2002 | Carlton Meyer

[uplandgame]

Most Army and Marine Corps Generals remain fixated with increasing manpower levels. What few can grasp is that every dollar spent on procurement provides equipment that can be used for 30 years, but every dollar spent on manpower disappears each payday. To solve this manpower demand, the Army needs to quickly free manpower and resources by closing several outdated and expensive overseas outposts. Closing overseas bases saves far more than domestic bases since the cost to sustain overseas bases is much higher, especially the PCS moves, and the problems of job losses and economic impact are not a concern.

The first step is to pull one brigade, most combat support units, and all Army families out of Korea. South Korea is five times more powerful than the North, and the continuing presence of American soldiers costs $5 billion a year and hampers reunification. Read "The Mythical North Korean Threat" for details. The Army should cancel insane plans to build 1066 new family housing units in Seoul, which is opposed by the city government who wants the US Army out. If Seoul is truly in danger of massive attack as many threat-mongers claim, why endanger more American families? The Army can leave behind one symbolic brigade for now, but it needs to close most camps and bring one brigade home for use elsewhere. This can save some $2 billion a year and free another 13,000 base and support troops and thousands of civilians for service elsewhere.

The second step is to pull the brigade out of Kosovo, which is maintained through unit rotations, so this mission ties up three brigades. One of President Bush's campaign promises was to pull US troops out of the Balkans and let the Europeans pull some weight while America polices the rest of the world. You can argue that they are still needed in Bosnia, but their presence in Kosovo was for temporary peacekeeping. Kosovo has been part of Serbia for hundreds of years, and remains part of Serbia according to the UN and every nation on Earth. Since Milosevic has been turned over to the UN for war crimes by the new democratic Yugoslav government, what's the delay?

In hindsight, Americans wonder why we supplied arms to Islamic terrorists in Albania to attack Yugoslav police, and then condemned the Yugoslavs for excessive civilian deaths in fighting terrorism. At least the Yugoslavs never used aerial bombing as part of counter terrorism operations like the United States. If none of the Europeans want to replace the US Army brigade, just give it back to the Yugoslavs; its their country and their problem. Unlike the casualty adverse US Army, they are not afraid to seek out and fight Islamic terrorists in Kosovo. It's time to send the Yugoslav peacekeepers back to Kosovo to fight Islamic terrorists and end this crazy Bill Clinton adventure.

A third step is to pull most troops out of Germany where they remain over a decade after the Soviet invasion threat disappeared. Germany has the most powerful military in Europe and is backed by NATO; it doesn't need help. The Army pretends its four armored brigades and 60,000 soldiers are in a good position to intervene in the Mediterranean or Middle East. However, it learned during the Balkan adventures that railway tunnels through the Alps are too small for tanks and Bradley's, and bridges too weak. They tried river barges, but that was complex and slow. They tried using rail lines to the East, but that was also complex and required permission from several nations who demanded large "rail fees". Eventually, the Army learned it was faster to move equipment from North Sea ports by ship around Spain, which prove that armored units in Georgia can deploy faster to Southern Europe than those in Germany.

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[sd-joe]

bump

[maranatha]

A big yes bump

[Cicero]

It seems like good advice to me. What he says about the problems of deploying forces from Germany to the Balkans and points east or south is new to me and very enlightening.

I wish Bush would pull out of Kosovo and unleash the Serbs. He doesn't need to explicitly blame clinton for the mess he inherited, but it makes no sense to continue doing the wrong thing there at great cost in money and manpower.

[FreedomCalls]

Oh yes absolutely. Why the hell are we still in Germany anyway? Pull all the European troops back home. Admittedly it will be hard to extract the pampered princes (our O-6 to O-10s) from the royal palaces they have built for themselves at NATO headquarters in Belgium. But it can be done. Didn't Bush 41 promise to have American troops out of Bosnia before Clinton took office in January 1993? We are still there.

[dcwusmc]

Interesting article. I have said the same thing for YEARS. It won't happen anytime soon, because Dubya is just like his predecessors, an emperor-wannabee. And our congress critters love the notion that THEY are helping shape the whole world. Their egoes won't tolerate the notion that they were hired to deal with issues which affect THIS COUNTRY and ONLY this country. The whole pack of them need an attitude adjustment or replacement... it's one more step on the road to CW-II or Revolution-II. Whichever it is, it won't be a pretty sight!

[caltrop]

Absolutely! I served as an 0-6 in USAREUR and have made exactly these points on FR every time the subject comes up. There is no reason for our ground forces to remain in Germany.

[ABrit]

"I wish Bush would pull out of Kosovo and unleash the Serbs."

Are you really crazy, or are you just pretending?

[FreedomCalls]

There is no reason for our ground forces to remain in Germany.

For the shopping? How else will the average Army Officer decorate his living room with schranks?

[Prodigal Son]

Didn't Bush 41 promise to have American troops out of Bosnia before Clinton took office in January 1993? We are still there.

We were in Bosnia in 93? The Dayton Peace Accords weren't signed until late 95.

[Dragonfly]

Bump

[FreedomCalls]

You are right. It was Clinton who first promised they would be out within a year. He then extended that by 18 months and then extended that again to an open-ended commitment.

WASHINGTON; December 19th, 1997 -- In announcing U.S. troops will remain in Bosnia indefinitely, President Clinton admitted yesterday his self-imposed June 30 deadline for their departure had been a mistake.

When Clinton first ordered U.S. soldiers to Bosnia in December 1995 to help secure the fragile peace there, he said they would stay only one year. Shortly after he won re-election last year, he joined NATO leaders in extending the mission another 18 months, to June 1998.

"I honestly believed in 18 months we could get this done at the time I said it," Clinton said. "And it wasn't -- I wasn't right, which is why I don't want to make that error again" by setting a new departure deadline.

[uplandgame]

1.)"[The] United States of America and the Kosovo Liberation Army stand for the same human values and principles ... Fighting for the KLA is fighting for human rights and American values." (Sen. Lieberman quoted in the 'Washington Post,' April 28, 1999)

2.)In hindsight, Americans wonder why we supplied arms to Islamic terrorists in Albania to attack Yugoslav police, and then condemned the Yugoslavs for excessive civilian deaths in fighting terrorism. At least the Yugoslavs never used aerial bombing as part of counter terrorism operations like the United States. If none of the Europeans want to replace the US Army brigade, just give it back to the Yugoslavs; its their country and their problem. Unlike the casualty adverse US Army, they are not afraid to seek out and fight Islamic terrorists in Kosovo. It's time to send the Yugoslav peacekeepers back to Kosovo to fight Islamic terrorists and end this crazy Bill Clinton adventure.

3.)STATEMENT OF J. T. CARUSO ACTING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR COUNTERTERRORISM DIVISION FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: "...Although Al-Qaeda functions independently of other terrorist organizations, it also functions through some of the terrorist organizations that operate under its umbrella or with its support, including: ... Egyptian Islamic Jihad, and a number of jihad groups in other countries, including the ... Bosnia, ... , Albania,...".

ABrit, chose your favorite from 1.), 2.) or 3.) ...

[Prodigal Son]

Aye, I was wearing a pair of the boots that were on the ground in Bosnia thinking about what Clinton said. I remember looking at Brown and Root building, building, building, wondering how Clinton was going to keep his one year- eighteen months promise when it looked like we were digging in for the long haul. I slept in a tent on a cot the whole time, but by the time we left, there were other Joes who had a pretty good set up- real beds with sheets, living in small conexes with heat, Aafes had the sandwich shop and Burger King set up.

You can't fool Joe. Clinton said we'll be out soon- we knew that was a lie.

[bob808]

FYI, the "A" in "ABrit's" name stands for Albanian.

[ARCADIA]

The Army pretends its four armored brigades and 60,000 soldiers are in a good position to intervene in the Mediterranean or Middle East.

Why not just relocate and base them in the Middle East?

[Movemout]

I can't find anything to disagree with here. NATO doesn't have a real mission any longer. South Korea and Japan are tired of playing host. We should have been spectating at the breakup of Yugoslavia and let Europe solve their own problems. Instead we have to be global overachievers and meddlers. I do agree that we need to destroy Al Queda and the Hamas. They have recent American blood on their hands.

This article takes an international perspective but doesn't address another drain on the treasury, ie domestic posts, forts, and bases that are no longer needed but are damned hard to close because of political parasites in DC who want to keep the federal spigot open in their districts/states. The only solution that anybody ever comes up with the "Let's put together a blue ribbon commission and let them prioritize a list of closures which we will subsequently ignore."

[ABrit]

"Americans wonder why we supplied arms to Islamic terrorists in Albania to attack Yugoslav police,"......Where is your evidence that any NATO country supplied arms to the KLA?

"and then condemned the Yugoslavs for excessive civilian deaths in fighting terrorism."....Well they did murder, rape torture, and ethnically cleanse a lot of Kosovans, and others.

"At least the Yugoslavs never used aerial bombing as part of counter terrorism operations like the United States."....No, the Serbs got right up close, shot, knifed, tortured, and burned a lot of innocent men women and children.

"If none of the Europeans want to replace the US Army brigade, just give it back to the Yugoslavs; its their country and their problem."...Its the country of the people who live there, the Kosovans.

"Unlike the casualty adverse US Army, they are not afraid to seek out and fight Islamic terrorists in Kosovo."....You're right the Serbs were, and are prepared to kill any and every Kosovan.

"It's time to send the Yugoslav peacekeepers back,".........Peacekeepers????????

"and end this crazy Bill Clinton adventure.".....I see what this is about now, your hatred of Clinton will justify any atrocity.

"Although Al-Qaeda functions independently ....., it also functions through some of the terrorist organizations ...including Bosnia, ... , Abania,".....I've no doubt there are some Islamic terrorists in Bosnia, and Kosovo, but very few. How many NATO personnel have been attacked by Al Quaida in Bosnia, and Kosovo?...None. The ideas you espouse are just an illusion.

You may be right that US troops should be replaced by Europeans, but to allow Serb troops back into Kosovo would be to sanction further mass murder by the Serbs.