WASHINGTON – President Bush’s plan to restructure U.S. military forces abroad includes bringing two Army divisions home from Cold War-era bases in Germany, and increasing the U.S. presence at bases in countries such as Poland, Romania and Uzbekistan, Pentagon officials said Monday.
Bush said the realignment would bring up to 70,000 troops – and about 100,000 family members and civilian workers – back to the United States within a decade. More than 200,000 U.S. troops are now stationed overseas, a majority of them in Europe.
Pentagon officials said the realignment also would close scores of U.S. military installations in Europe to consolidate forces at larger bases. At the same time, the United States would make greater use of training and logistics bases on the soil of its new allies, said three top Pentagon officials who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
The moves are meant to give the military greater flexibility and a quicker reaction time to deal with the smaller military engagements that Pentagon planners foresee during the war on terrorism and beyond.
In Germany, the two heavy armored divisions will be replaced with one brigade, a unit roughly one-third the size of a division’s 15,000 or so troops. Instead of tanks, the replacement unit will be outfitted with new Stryker vehicles, the smaller, lighter and faster armored vehicles that are a key part of the Army’s future strategy.
Later, a Pentagon official said two divisions making the move in 2006 would be the 1st Armored Division and the 1st Infantry Division – the famed Big Red One.
In Fort Riley, Kan., the news was met with excitement as residents anticipated a big jolt to their struggling economies once the troops return.
Texas’ two senators said the restructuring could mean thousands more troops for their state – at Fort Hood in Killeen and Fort Bliss in El Paso. It was welcome news after lengthy discussions about base realignments and closures.
The U.S. officials refused to discuss plans for troop shifts in Asia. U.S. and South Korean officials previously said about one-third of the 37,000 American forces in South Korea will soon leave. The United States and Japan are discussing possible changes for the more than 40,000 troops in Japan, but the officials would not say whether that involved increasing or decreasing the number.
The changes would not directly affect the 150,000 troops involved in or supporting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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