US to Pull Most Troops Out of Germany

[burnedout]

At the height of the cold war, the U.S. had approximately 350,000 troops in Germany. Then there were their respective dependents, schools, contractors, labor service, etc. A 1985 report by "The Stars and Stripes" newspaper, Pentagon analysts and certain economists estimated the annual direct U.S. contribution to the German economy at around $7 billion or 5-6 percent of the German Gross National Product. Obviously, the massive drawdowns of the early 90s coupled with German reunification shrank these numbers a bit, although not as proportional as one would guess. Because of the weak East German economy, the improvements made to remaining facilities and of course inflation, the numbers have hovered at $5 billion and 3-4 percent GNP.

Saw a report contemplating withdrawal of even more troops from Germany about 6-7 months ago. Therefore, this news doesn't really surprise me too much. However, such a move would certainly indicate the end of a significant era.

 

[Pastfinder]

I doubt that Ramstein will close, others might not be so fortunate...

 

[Pocatello]

I wonder if Germany will allow transport planes carrying injured US soldiers to land there if there is a war with Iraq.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: dahunan

Originally posted by: SuperToolDo you think if NATO left, Russia would go in and take over the whole Europe?

http://salon.com/news/feature/2003/02/13/europe/index_np.html

Europe's new world order
The streets are jammed with protesters. Governments are at risk of falling. Analysts say Europe is ready for a break from the U.S. that could reshape global relations for years to come.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Noah Sudarsky

Feb. 13, 2003 | PARIS -- The bitter standoff between the Bush administration and three longtime European allies over Iraq war plans continued for a third day Wednesday, as France, Germany and Belgium rejected the United States' scaled-down request that NATO prepare to defend Turkey from an attack by Saddam Hussein.

The argument is largely symbolic, and the U.S. has promised to bolster Turkish defenses without the blessing of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization if necessary. But the division over Iraq is so stark and so deep that some analysts say it could precipitate the rise of a new world order in which Europe acts as an independent power to check and contain the U.S.

Stresses in the alliance have been growing since last fall, when European leaders and Bush administration moderates prevailed in getting the U.S. to take its case against Iraq to the United Nations. The latest conflict, however, is widely seen as the worst in the 53-year history of NATO and a defining moment in the post-Cold War era.

Europe and the U.S. have weathered past conflicts, and no one expects the alliance to end anytime soon. For now, European governments remain divided on the war. But grassroots opposition to the war is so strong that it is endangering leaders who back the U.S. effort -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair, for instance, and Spanish Prime Minister José Maria Aznar. And in the longer term, some analysts say, opposition to the U.S. as a solo superpower could create favorable conditions for a Paris-Berlin-Moscow axis that would reshape global relations for years to come.


"For a long time, only France was proposing to use the European Union as a counterweight to the United States," says Georgetown University professor Charles Kupchan, who served as a foreign policy advisor in the Clinton administration. "Today, that idea has been adopted by virtually everyone ... This generation [of Europeans] believes it's important to have a European voice on the global stage."

And, Kupchan warns, "if America is perceived less and less as a munificent power, and more and more as a predatory power, the risks of 'hard' competition will increase."

I'm afraid that this scenario is very likely to happen. The US could have been the sole Super Power, but they haven't played their cards right and will likely soon lose their Global Leadership position. It's too bad really, the principles that the US was founded on are very sound and would benefit Humanity as a whole, unfortunetly those principles haven't been applied to US foreign policy.

 

[Nitemare]

Just establish some air bases in Turkey.

If the rest of the UN is too cowardly to defend them, we will.

Europe was where all the heat was during the world war's and cold war era. The Middle East is where the problems are now, it only makes sense.

 

[rudder]

The troops were there to defend Europe from the Soviet Union. That threat is diminished, particularly since there is no East germany anymore. Its nice to have a few support bases around the globe, but I would rather see we close shop in foreign countries than to close bases in the U.S. I know there are strategical reasons and those bases in the U.S. are not as critical as those overseas, but the face of the enemy has changed.

 

[shiner]

Eh big deal. It's about time we started pulling our troops out of Europe and make the Euros defend themselves. Bring our people back home and give them new jobs defending the border with Mexico. Hell we even need some of them along the border with Canada. Not that we need to defend agains their tank or anything, it's just that we need someone to help shut down that border since it seems easier to get into the U.S. via Canada than it is to get into the pants of that slutty girl we all knew back in high school.

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
Just establish some air bases in Turkey.

If the rest of the UN is too cowardly to defend them, we will.

Europe was where all the heat was during the world war's and cold war era. The Middle East is where the problems are now, it only makes sense.

Good idea, though its NATO....not the UN blocking help for Turkey.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: Chadder007

Originally posted by: Nitemare
Just establish some air bases in Turkey.

If the rest of the UN is too cowardly to defend them, we will.

Europe was where all the heat was during the world war's and cold war era. The Middle East is where the problems are now, it only makes sense.

Good idea, though its NATO....not the UN blocking help for Turkey.

should have said same countries in the UN plus belgium