Sec of Defense Lays Out Plans for Redeployment of Personnel From Germany

U.S. European Command Force Posture Policy Press Conference: Secretary Esper's Opening Statement (as prepared)

11,900 troops will leave Germany. 6400 will return to the USA but continue rotational deployments to Europe. 5600 will redeploy to other NATO states. The Euro command and special forces HQ will move to Belgium. F-16 fighter squadron will move to Italy. Army V corps headquarters will go to Poland after an agreement is reached.

The current EUCOM plan will reposition approximately 11,900 military personnel from Germany – from roughly 36,000 down to 24,000 – in a manner that will strengthen NATO, enhance the deterrence of Russia, and meet the other principles I set forth.

Of the 11,900, nearly 5,600 Service members will be repositioned within NATO countries, and approximately 6,400 will return to the United States, though many of these or similar units will begin conducting rotational deployments back to Europe. The broad strokes of these moves are as follows:

Various U.S. headquarters will be consolidated in locations in Europe outside of Germany, including, in some cases, collocating at the same locations as their NATO counterparts in Belgium and Italy. This will strengthen NATO and improve the operational efficiency and readiness of over 2,000 Service members.

The nearly 4,500 members of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment will return to the United States, as other Stryker units begin continuous rotations farther east in the Black Sea region to enhance deterrence and reassure allies along NATO’s southeastern flank.

The 2,500 airmen based in Mildenhall, United Kingdom, who are responsible for aerial refueling and special operations, and who had been scheduled to re-base to Germany, will remain in the U.K., thus ensuring the uninterrupted readiness and responsiveness of these units.

A fighter squadron and elements of a fighter wing will be repositioned to Italy, moving them closer to the Black Sea region and better capable of conducting dynamic force employments and rotational deployments to NATO’s southeastern flank.

In addition to these moves and the rotational forces announced by President Trump and Polish President Duda in 2019, we also plan on rotating forward the lead element of the Army’s newly established V Corps headquarters to Poland, once Warsaw agrees to a Defense Cooperation Agreement and burden sharing details, as previously pledged.

a reply to: worldstarcountry
How bout a deployment back to the world? 11B

I say bring them all home.

originally posted by: willzilla
I say bring them all home.

I agree.
Especially from europe.
Let the eu defend themselves.
We have paid enough of our tax dollars to subsidize their defense.

The only deployments they should be on is joint training with other nations and the obvious war. Hopefully the latter will never happen again, but hungry politicians and whatnot...

if the troops stationed in Germany...get rotated back to domestic bases...

that will result in ADM units getting axxed first, so that no Atomic Munitions remain in Deutschland ->>
We can't store those ADMs in Turkey, France is a Big IFFY too, which leaves England/Britain as a reliable storage place

the USA in the EU community of Nations, must create a new-mission for any forces still stationed there...
except for AF Bases and attached Drone launch sites to those military bases,,,NATO is in need of a RE-Set real soon

a reply to: shooterbrody
I do not disagree with you but you should inform yourself before making such broad statements.

Actually the US bases in Germany for example are financed through the German state for the most parts. Just saying. The building, maintenance and such. What you call subsidizing our defense is really providing the USA an important geopolitical boost while making us a target.

Your government, democrat and republican, closed their eyes on a lot of sketchy things that were done in Germany, by US personal, post 9/11. What you still do from observation sites located in Germany.

You are entitled to your opinion but it seems to be formed on wrong and way too less information. I know it is one of the most favorite horses to beat when it comes to "US vs Europe", though.

95% of the german people are happy right now. 5% are not, those transatlic sycophants(Atlantikbrücke, Trilateral Commision etc) that undermine german politics for their own and the profits of "gods own country".

And btw, not only US tax payers had to pay for the US military to have a "submarine" in the middle of europe, to bring terror to the world via drones controlled from Rammstein, as one little example. We german taxpayers had to pay around a billion per ten years so the US can terrorize parts of the world from german soil. And to fight the relationship between russia and germany. Hopefully they take their nukes with them and don´t forget the rest of their troops, sending them to to Poland or whatever "beautiful" corrupt east european rightwinger country will be used, exploited and played like a fiddle by the USA after they used Germany for decades. From middle europe to eastern europe, from germany to poland, is that a win for those soldiers???

The USA is finished, it´s better not to have masses of their military on ypur own soil. Such nations with their oligarchy will start wars to deflect from the problems at home and from the fact that the "empire" is down on it´s knees, taking its last breaths.The less of the last occupying force in germany, the better for germany and it´s relationships to still sane parts of the world.

a reply to: ThatDamnDuckAgain

Actually the US bases in Germany for example are financed through the German state for the most parts.

More complicated than that. There is a lot of quid-pro-quo involved. Many contracts granted, for example, to German firms for work on bases of many different kinds, and the amounts involved are substantial.

One thing that will get shaken up in places the Americans leave is the corruption of the real estate agents. They perfected the art of renting properties at prices far higher than Germans would pay. Guess those rental prices will have to come down now. Good for ordinary German renters but the property owners won't like it.

Cheers

a reply to: DerBeobachter

after they used Germany for decades.

That statement would be laughably ignorant of history, were the genuine history not so tragic.

Cheers

a reply to: shooterbrody

Being 'deployed' in Europe is a soldier's dream assignment.
Thanks Dad

a reply to: worldstarcountry

The Euro command and special forces HQ will move to Belgium.

Got a source for that? I didn't see that in the statement by Esper, just that some unspecified headquarters will move.

Cheers

originally posted by: ThatDamnDuckAgain
a reply to: shooterbrody
I do not disagree with you but you should inform yourself before making such broad statements.

Actually the US bases in Germany for example are financed through the German state for the most parts. Just saying. The building, maintenance and such. What you call subsidizing our defense is really providing the USA an important geopolitical boost while making us a target.

Your government, democrat and republican, closed their eyes on a lot of sketchy things that were done in Germany, by US personal, post 9/11. What you still do from observation sites located in Germany.

You are entitled to your opinion but it seems to be formed on wrong and way too less information. I know it is one of the most favorite horses to beat when it comes to "US vs Europe", though.

I fully meant my broad statement.
If it were up to me, I would bring home every military person. ALL OF THEM.
It has nothing to do with "europe". It has to do with using our resources wisely.

a reply to: DerBeobachter
Perhaps you lot shouldn't have started a war you couldn't win.
Hearing predictions of failure, from failures is hilarious.

Cheers

originally posted by: DerBeobachter
95% of the german people are happy right now. 5% are not, those transatlic sycophants(Atlantikbrücke, Trilateral Commision etc) that undermine german politics for their own and the profits of "gods own country".

And btw, not only US tax payers had to pay for the US military to have a "submarine" in the middle of europe, to bring terror to the world via drones controlled from Rammstein, as one little example. We german taxpayers had to pay around a billion per ten years so the US can terrorize parts of the world from german soil. And to fight the relationship between russia and germany. Hopefully they take their nukes with them and don´t forget the rest of their troops, sending them to to Poland or whatever "beautiful" corrupt east european rightwinger country will be used, exploited and played like a fiddle by the USA after they used Germany for decades. From middle europe to eastern europe, from germany to poland, is that a win for those soldiers???

The USA is finished, it´s better not to have masses of their military on ypur own soil. Such nations with their oligarchy will start wars to deflect from the problems at home and from the fact that the "empire" is down on it´s knees, taking its last breaths.The less of the last occupying force in germany, the better for germany and it´s relationships to still sane parts of the world.

Are you high?

originally posted by: chris_stibrany
a reply to: shooterbrody

Being 'deployed' in Europe is a soldier's dream assignment.
Thanks Dad

Never got there, westpac and leo tour in beautiful south america. My brother went to europe, he siad its an armpit.
These days imo there is no need to send anyone anywhere unless it is shooting time. We project enough without boots on the ground.

a reply to: Arnie123
Nope
Typical euro.

Europe is not an armpit. Maybe parts of Italy yeah or large cities like Marseilles and Paris but the Benelux is great. Southern Germany, Kaiserslautern etc.

a reply to: shooterbrody

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

It makes sense - SHAPE is already there.

originally posted by: chris_stibrany
Europe is not an armpit. Maybe parts of Italy yeah or large cities like Marseilles and Paris but the Benelux is great. Southern Germany, Kaiserslautern etc.

a reply to: shooterbrody

Tomato
Too matoe

Still no reason for us to waste our resources imo.
In any part of the world currently.
Bring them all home
Spend the savings on fixing our nation.