Posted on 08/15/2004 5:15:00 PM PDT by Horatio Gates
Germany will be hit harder than any other country by US President George W. Bush's announcement on Monday that the Pentagon will withdraw 70,000 troops from overseas and return them to US bases, US officials said at the weekend.
About 45,000 of the reduction will come in Europe, a majority being culled from the 75,000 US servicemen based in facilities across Germany. The US has been in talks with German officials about its plans for more than a year. It will be the biggest restructuring of US forces overseas since the end of the cold war. The plans include a general briefing in December when most of the overview was presented, according to a senior state department official.
Senior Pentagon officials have emphasised that any reduction is not connected with Germany's opposition to the Iraq war. “The US's level of interest, commitment and military capability resident in this theatre should no longer be measured exclusively by the number of troops permanently based in Europe,” General James Jones, head of the US's European command, said in a recent Capitol Hill hearing.
The German reductions are expected to include the withdrawal of heavy army divisions the 1st armoured, based in Wiesbaden, and the 1st infantry, based in Wurzburg and the closure of 13 installations near the towns of Friedberg and Giessen. The air force will withdraw from Rhein-Main air base in Frankfurt and consolidate operations in Ramstein and Spangdahlem. One US official said there had been an intense, joint Pentagon/state department effort to ease the German government's concerns about the reduction and that some new capabilities including a new brigade of light-armoured Stryker vehicles are a result of German requests.
Other upgrades will include better training and command facilities, focused at Grafenwoehr, where a $630m (€509m) project is under way to build new facilities. German officials expressed wariness at the prospect of big withdrawals, saying they were likely to be hard on small communities that relied on the US presence for economic activity. But US officials said they did not believe there would be a significant political reaction in Germany because of the diplomatic efforts made over the past six months.
“In Asia and Europe for many months now we've had a series of official visits where both the why and the wherefore of this initiative have been discussed, have been briefed and have been, I think, quite well received, both in Europe and Asia,” said the senior state department official.
Sounds good to me.
The lesson to Germans is, be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.
Ha Ha!
In the end Germany will be stronger for this move. IMHO, so will Euro American relations.
Bravo! It's about time!
Only because we don't have troops stationed in France.
Why should they care if the Americans withdraw? If the Germans get into trouble they can always take their grievance to the United Nations or their traditional ally France.
It's time they carried their own weight and quit sitting on the sidelines carping.
Sounds fair to me.
Just remember that, you Krauts, next time we ask you for some help at the UN.
What in the hell took so long? When the refused to help in Iraq, we should have pulled them at that second.
The sooner, the better. Let the know-it-alls in Europe provide their own defense for a change. I wonder if the anti-US idiots in Germany have figured out what a huge hit this is going to be to their economy?
It's like I always said, you think you've seen anti-Americans protests, just wait until we tell them we are pulling our troops out. Looks like my point is being proven.
Not to worry Germany, for the EU will take care of you....Right?
What economy?
Ohhh how sweet it is! Europe and Puerto Rico crying the blues. Too bad so sad.
Amen! God bless the Bush administration for not continuing to support "regimes" that are openly hostile to us and our troops.
French troops posted on former US bases in Germany has some intrigue.</sarc> They may not care since there will probably be a Euro Army in the future. It's about time we brought the boys home after 60 years.
That will rocket the unemployment rates in Germany through the ceiling. They haven't thought about all those civil service jobs that will be cut, heehee. Before long, Germany will be whining back on our doorstep begging for us to come back.
The Krauts can shove it.
The Germans have gotten a free ride on their defense for long enough.
It is time for them to defend themselves again, We have been taken for granted by these POS countries, and I think it's about time to pull our troops out of South Korea as well, and let them defend themselves too.
They want us to play policeman when it's in their defense, but when it comes to our security, forget about it.
Bunch of UN Whoosy socialists.
FMCDH(BITS)
The Euro Army likes marching in the shade.
They hate America, Americans and our warriors.
Now, Germany will get its wishes.
With this withdrawal, the Regime change in Iraq and the pending regime changes in Iran and Syria plus the rampant socialism in Germany, any investments in Germany probably should be evaluated.
Where were these people when huge anti-American protests were held in Seoul?
Senior Pentagon officials have emphasised that any reduction is not connected with Germany's opposition to the Iraq war.
They've been planning this over one year, and no doubt it has nothing to do with the fact that we're sick and tired of the German government and the Germans that vote them in.
How insensitive!
Naw, those Muslim immigrants will make up for the US dollars that will be leaving. The laid off bartenders will soon find employment as ambulance drivers.
I suppose the Third Reich gets to keep all the physical infrastructure we built (to protect their asses) at no charge, as usual?
I am not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I always thought our troops were there to protect US from the Germans, not to protect Germany from others.
I feel like a real traitor some times lately,back in the early 70s when at Hahn AFB I was shacked up with a french girl.
Some of those troops will move to Eastern Europe.
What is this :)?
________________
Another division strength of 20,000 are being pulled from South Korea.
S. Korea's immediate threat is N. Korea, but they have ample uniformed fighting forces to repel Kim Il without us ceremoniously sacrificing 35,000 of our troops in the first hour of battle. That is a good thing.
Germany on the other hand is an obvious move since we now need those troops for rotation purposes in Iraq.
What immediate military threat is there to Europe anymore?
Why does a German political reaction matter at all to our defense and security needs? Are they going to object to us pulling half our forces out by making us pull the other half out? Especially when we could just as easily go next door?
I think the franco-germans betrayed our alliance. But that is not necessary for this discussion...there is no longer any reason to have US troops in Germany. Are they afraid that the Poles are going to 'act up' again?
Our so called allies are interested in continuing to fleece American taxpayers for the economic benefits of military bases and personnel. If they were even slightly worried about a resurgent Russia...they would be pushing our troops to border countries like Poland or even the Ukraine.
Of all the BRAC that needs doing, it is the bases in Germany that need to go the most.
Whoops, I think I really misunderstood you in my reply #30. For some odd reason I thought you meant the Seoul mobs were protesting our troops leaving South Korea. I probably thought that because we're the only ones that have protected them from the North Koreans for so long.
I think that is:
Vas iz dis?
Which way will Kerry flop first on this? For, against, can do it better, war hero ?
Yes I hope we place some of the displaced troops in Poland.
Its win win for US and Poland
Well...maybe...in the long run. But not in the near future! We left Germany shortly after the E. Germans began swarming over the border. The landlords, et. al. hated it! The US military made the GI's pay their bills, rent, whatever. OTOH the German social service(s) in charge of these refugees were...well, like any country's social services.
Don't feel too bad, her father was probably a German.
LOL. "I am Dieter and this is Shprockets." Thanks for the pic.
Your contribution (if any) to the gene pool should assuage your guilt ;-)
The Polish are too proud to want us in there helping them militarily.
We ask them for help, and they will provide, but giving them help, Poland is one of the FEW countries that doesn't need our help, and more power to them.
Of course I think the Polish armed forces can more than hold their own even without US troops there.
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