No final decisions have been made about the posture of American forces in Europe, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a press conference here today.
Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers told reporters the news reports that both American divisions are moving out of Germany are premature. "Any realignment of our troops is in the context of a larger global posture look that the United States is taking," he said.
Local press reported that the 1st Armored and 1st Infantry divisions will move out of Germany in the near future.
Myers stressed that any move will be taken only after full discussions with allies and host countries. He said the look at the U.S. global footprint is overdue and, in many cases, is being done in conjunction with allies' own examination of troop deployments.
He cited changes in Korea that will consolidate U.S. forces and shrink the overall number without cutting capabilities.
While no decisions have been made about U.S. forces in Germany, a high-level U.S. group met with German counterparts last month.
Officials traveling with Myers said that even when decisions are made, it will take some time to implement them. And these decisions must be connected with the U.S. base realignment and closure effort.
"There are programming issues, there are budgeting issues, there are issues of where forces may go back in the United States," Myers said. "It is a very complex process, lots of moving parts. I wouldn't go to any conclusions like that now."
Myers indicated any decision on the global posture will be done over time and be announced in phases. "We want to make sure that the way we are postured in the future is where U.S. forces are wanted," he said. "We want to make sure of the usability of these forces in time of crisis that we can use them where we need to use them."
Story by Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
Date Taken: | 06.07.2004 |
Date Posted: | 07.04.2025 02:57 |
Story ID: | 534516 |
Location: | WASHINGTON, US |
Web Views: | 3 |
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