Not very surprising.

Although it might seem so, or at least odd, to my generation: US May Halve Forces in Germany.

The Pentagon has drafted plans to withdraw as many as half of the 71,000 troops based in Germany as part of an extensive realignment of American military forces that moves away from large concentrations in Europe and Asia, according to U.S. officials.

Under the plan, which is nearing approval, smaller, relatively spartan bases would be established in Romania and possibly Bulgaria, and designed for the rapid projection of U.S. military power against terrorists, hostile states and other potential adversaries.

Farther east, in Central Asia, bases in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan that were established in 2001 to support the war in Afghanistan would be preserved as training sites and as staging areas that U.S. forces could use in emergencies.

I am of course pleased to see this added confirmation that the nightmare scenario of my childhood - the one that started with a massive Soviet armored invasion of West Germany and ended with mushroom clouds sprouting over Berlin, Warsaw, Paris, Prague, London, Moscow, Washington - is well and truly dead, at least in its current form. It's been going on sixty years now: I think that we can safely reduce our military presence in Western Europe to something a bit more reasonable. For that matter, there's some indication that our new deployments will reflect current geopolitical realities, which is equally welcome. The Cold War is over, too, and I mourn its passing not.

It still feels odd, though. Possibly because so much time and effort was spent preparing for a conflict that never quite materialized, thank God; it's like climbing a stairway and thinking that there's one more step than is actually the case. You don't get hurt when your foot jerks through the air to smack against the floor, but it does put you off your stride.

(Via Outside the Beltway)

Moe

PS: I do suppose that those wishing to be cynical about this:

"The one thing I would strongly refute, because it comes up all the time, is the notion that we're withdrawing forces to punish the Germans somehow" for their lack of support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Feith said. "What we're doing is not at all tied to current events. We're looking at this in terms of changes that will last decades."

...enjoy the right to do so, but truth be told Germany's a prime target for force reduction anyway.

Comments

[Gary Farber]

My main observation is: it's about frigging time.

I've been calling for this step for several years now. Keeping troops based in Germany, beyond a tiny minimum, is expensive, causes problems with the Germans (the troops either can't train, or if they do, tanks running across the countryside cause expensive damage and piss people off), and has become pointless since about 1992, given the availability of far cheaper Eastern European options, which we're taking advantage of.

[Cameron]

Well it is a step in the right direction. Now to remove the other half and get out of other countries while we're at it.

[praktike]

Great move.

[Macallan]

How are we going to invade France?

Oh nevermind, we probably have enough exchange students there.

[rilkefan]

Moe, I have the impression that, during the time of our greatest tension with Germany in the leadup to the war, I read conservatives on Tacitus's blog half-advocating pulling out our troops as a way to punish the Germans. I lost track of why we had to have a big presence there anyway.

Fine post, by the way, esp. the bit about the stair.

[James Casey]

My main observation is: it's about frigging time.

I've been calling for this step for several years now.

Well, Gary, now you know that your Government does listen to you.

Every move that dismantles the Cold War is nice. As a kid, I often sat on my parents' bed, looking out of the window, wondering if a huge missile might suddenly come shrieking down. Fun days. Then the 1990s happened and the Wall had come down and Mandela was released and Eastern Europe was given another chance, and everyone lived happy ever after.

Oh, well... it was good while it lasted.

[luisalegria]

Mr. Casey,
It is good. Compared to the actual results and realistic threats of the last century. The glass is well over three-quarters full, Al Quaeda or not.

[luisalegria]

Mr. Rilkefan,
The biggest reasons for keeping them there were because the Germans and other Euros wanted them there - they add an element of political stability as a guarantee that whatever happens in Europe the US will be drawn in immediately. A US reason was that it gives the US a superb base for global operations. It would be difficult and expensive to fully replace what exists in Germany. Another reason is that some home will have to be found for these units, if withrawn. This can be expensive in the short term.