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| Europe |
| Army transferring just one brigade from Germany |
| 2011-04-10 |
| The Army will return one Europe-based combat brigade to the United States in the coming years, not two as previously announced, the Pentagon said Friday. Since 2004, the Defense Department has been planning to transfer two of its four combat brigades in Europe to the States as part of a larger post-Cold War drawdown. But based on a White House review, NATO’s plans for the future and the “broad range of 21st century challenges,” officials decided that three brigades would stay put, according to a DOD release. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #4 The Germans calculated out that having the US forces there stimulates their economy They could look back on their experience in the mid-'90s, when President Clinton closed so many bases. When we moved out shortly thereafter, the new tenants paid about 1/3rd less rent. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2011-04-10 20:58 |
| #3 The Germans calculated out that having the US forces there stimulates their economy by billions of dollars every year, at minimal social cost, that is, welfare. Figure the average base pay for all personnel in a brigade of 5,000 is about E4, or $25,000, that's $125,000,000. Now add off post housing for a quarter of them, which probably bumps it up to $200m. And lots more on top of that. And that "windfall" money has a pebble in a pond effect. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-04-10 09:30 |
| #2 part of a larger post-Cold War drawdown No need to rush only 20 years since the CW ended. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2011-04-10 03:55 |
| #1 Why? POMCUS the materials with caretakers and return the lot. If the Euros are not up to protecting their own interests, why should we? This is just another version of PBS and NPR, it has a life of its own, its tradition, its precedent. It's expensive. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-04-10 00:17 |