Change is in the wind for the US military.

Hmm Ill make the editorials after the article.


US to rethink its military 'footprint'
By Peter Spiegel in Washington
Published: May 6 2003 21:58 | Last Updated: May 6 2003 21:58


'When Donald Rumsfeld, US defence secretary, assumed the top job at the Pentagon for a second time in January 2001, his new boss, President George W. Bush, had a task for him: to review thoroughly the US defence posture around the globe.


This was an undertaking begun during the Clinton administration but, with the enlargement of Nato approaching rapidly and growing controversies over US troops in such host countries as Saudi Arabia and South Korea, Mr Rumsfeld ordered his combatant commanders in Europe, the Pacific and Central Command to rethink the US "footprint" everywhere.

Many senior military officers bristled at any talk of downsizing forces under their command. Pentagon insiders said Gen Joseph Ralston, then the commander of US forces in Europe, urged Mr Rumsfeld to allow most of the 115,000 active-duty troops to remain in the region. Keeping just 8 per cent of the 1.4m US troops in a command that encompassed 93 countries was hardly an extravagance, Gen Ralston argued.

Similarly, Gen Tommy Franks, the newly minted head of Central Command, reportedly argued against completely pulling out of Saudi Arabia and other smaller Gulf bases until alternatives in the region were found.

The September 11 2001 terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq temporarily slowed the review. But with Mr Rumsfeld's ideological opposition to overextending US forces - an accusation frequently lobbied by Bush loyalists at their Clinton administration predecessors - the task of reshaping the US military abroad has picked up pace once again.

The first and most high profile restructuring came last week, when the US announced it was withdrawing almost all its forces from Saudi Arabia and transferring its regional air force headquarters from Prince Sultan Air Base outside Riyadh to Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. That base had gained the infrastructure to serve as a combat headquarters only in the weeks preceding the Iraq invasion.

US forces at Incirlik Air Base in eastern Turkey have also been reduced to a skeleton crew of 1,400. Senior Pentagon officials have signalled that a similar reduction could be announced shortly in Kuwait - the army's main staging area in the region since the 1991 Gulf war.

"Clearly, one of the reasons we had US forces in the region was to enforce the UN Security Council resolutions on Iraq," said Gen Richard Myers, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. "Those forces in Turkey for that purpose, they've already returned home. We had forces in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as well, and, clearly, they're not going to be needed in the future for that."

Pentagon insiders familiar with the negotiations said, however, that the army is likely to keep some heavy armaments pre-positioned in Kuwait even if troops are brought back home. "Pulling out of bases is a one-way street," noted Loren Thompson, a military analyst with the Lexington Institute. "Once you're gone, there's no going back."

The shifts extend well beyond the Middle East, however. Mr Rumsfeld has said repeatedly that he believes the US has too many troops in Germany - close to 80,000 active-duty personnel, along with tens of thousands of family members and civilians. Gen James Jones, who assumed command of US troops in Europe in January, has said he plans to recommend moving forces farther east.

"It made a lot of sense to have a number of capabilities in Germany when you were worried about the Soviet Union coming across the north German plain," Mr Rumsfeld said at the weekend. "It does not make a lot of sense to have capabilities that you can't use or you have to go through circuitous routes."

Gen Ralston is said to have made a similar recommendation, arguing that basing troops in Bulgaria and Romania would give the US easier access to the Caucasus and Gulf regions. Romanian and Bulgaria have expressed enthusiasm, and Gen Jones has suggested setting up "lily pads", or lightly manned forward bases.

Although little noticed during the waning days of the war in Iraq, the US has also begun shifting its forces in the Pacific. In early April the US announced a deal with the new South Korean government to move its regional headquarters - the sprawling Yongsan garrison in Seoul - outside the capital. The agreement to move the base - home to most of the US's 37,000 troops in the South - did not discuss the size of US forces there, but military officials have said there are plans to remove US soldiers from the demilitarised zone. In addition, US diplomats have begun broaching a phase-out.

Gen Leon LaPorte, commander of US forces in Korea, has been working on a new configuration, Mr Rumsfeld said in February he would like US forces to be more oriented towards air and sea hubs.

"[The hubs would have] the ability to reinforce so there's still a strong deterrent, and possibly, with our improved capabilities of moving people, some of those forces come back home," he said.

I always thought it was silly for us to continue to guard the Fulda Gap. German Citizens don't really want us there judging from the demonstrations so why not go where we could save some money and be more welcome? The Bulgarians and Romanians seem interested in gaining the benefits and hassels of maintaining bases in their countries. As for pulling out of Saudi Arabia...also sounds like a win for us, but a loss for the Royal Family.

All in all these moves to leave areas where we aren't wanted or liked seems like a good thing to me. I think the world is gonna change again soon......

[ 05-07-2003, 04:14 PM: Message edited by: MagiK ]

[Thoran]

IMO getting out of Saudi is good for all... it has been creating lots of problems for the Saudi Gov., and once we're out at least that much will go away. Sure there will still be Saudi's griping about the government... but I doubt you'll see anyone taking action (at least as long as oil money can keep the average Saudi citizen fat, dumb and happy).

[Iron_Ranger]

Would we really be more welcome in Bulgaria and Romania than we are in Germany?

Thats a non sarcastic statment btw.

[johnny]

Originally posted by Iron_Ranger: Would we really be more welcome in Bulgaria and Romania than we are in Germany? Thats a non sarcastic statment btw.

Well, they have been under Russian influence for decades, so the average man in the street might still see you as the bad guy. But maybe things have changed, dunno really.

According to the article they are drooling at the prospect....a LOT of money is involed for the locals when a US base is there.

[johnny]

Originally posted by MagiK: According to the article they are drooling at the prospect....a LOT of money is involed for the locals when a US base is there.

Money always opens doors. But you can't really buy friends like that. Sooner or later the US will be stabbed in the back, as usual.

[Attalus]

I have stated repeatedly that we need to 1) Withdraw all forces from Germany and close Rammstein, 2)Withdraw all forces from Korea, and 3) Build a big, new base in Romania or Bulgaria, much closer to where the action is and will be for the conceivable future. This looks like a favorable development. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[antryg]

I realize that commanders don't want to downsize their own commands. It does make much more sense move out of Germany and Saudi Arabia. The Soviet threat in Germany is gone and the US military presence is no longer needed. Moving out of Saudi Arabia will definately improve our relations in the area and should remove fears of American imperialism.

[Sir Kenyth]

Originally posted by Attalus: I have stated repeatedly that we need to 1) Withdraw all forces from Germany and close Rammstein, 2)Withdraw all forces from Korea, and 3) Build a big, new base in Romania or Bulgaria, much closer to where the action is and will be for the conceivable future. This looks like a favorable development. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

Hold it now! We need a sizable force in South Korea! Technically, we're still at war. We're the only thing keeping these guys from swallowing up South Korea! As it stands, they still see occasional small arms action on the DMZ!

[The Lilarcor]

Give NK about 10-20 years and it will fall like the USSR, either that and be invaded.... By Mcdonalds and other US fast food and retailers...