Pentagon’s plan to rearrange forces in Europe gets the third degree from both sides of the aisle

| October 1, 2020

Jeff LPH 3 sends this one in.

Military Times is reporting on a hearing the House Armed Services Committee is conducting into the Pentagon’s plan to pull 12,000 or so troops out of Germany. Some would be relocated to other countries like Belgium and Italy. More than half of the 12,000 would be reassigned stateside.

But without a cost analysis, no timeline and, according to lawmakers, scant reasoning for the move at all, the plan has gotten a resoundingly poor grade from a committee with the power to approve or deny it.

“I don’t think this plan was particularly well thought out and I worry about a number of aspects of its implementation,” Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., HASC’s chairman, said in his opening remarks.

First announced by Defense Secretary Mark Esper at the end of July, the proposal was borne of a U.S. European Command review, which each combatant command has gone through in recent months.

Esper has argued that redistributing some troops throughout other points in Europe, while specifically bringing the 2nd Cavalry Regiment home and deploying it and similar formations as a rotational force focused on countries east of Germany and closer to Russia, would bolster the mission to deter that country’s encroachment across its western border.

Critics of the plan have pointed out that it seems to fall directly in line with recent rhetoric from President Donald Trump, who has threatened to pull troops out of Germany for not meeting its non-binding goal of contributing 2 percent of its gross domestic product to NATO.

Gotta say if the only reasoning is that Germany is using our troops and military resources to secure their national defense and haven’t met NATO funding requirements, then why are we there? I know we won the right to be there in perpetuity, unconditional surrender has that effect, but Americans are sick of being the world’s police. That includes being Europe’s deterrent to Russia and Iran. There’s a difference between helping an ally and being used by someone who’s supposed to be your friend.

Source; Military Times

 

Category: Big Pentagon, Guest Link, Politics

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Ret_25X

Representative Adam Smith (D-WA), using his VAST military and business experience says the plan isn’t well thought out and sounds like it supports the President’s statements.

Now their is Wile E Coyote level genius in action.

The DoD is doing something the President may have indicated they are supposed to do?

Well! I never!

Personally, I question ANY forces in Europe AT ALL. What mission, exactly, are permanently stationed forces supporting again?

Oh…that’s right…operation feed taxpayer cash to rich Europeans…my bad…

Skippy

Exactly ^^^^

5th/77th FA

Been wars and rumors of wars in Europe since right after Cain put a rock to Abel’s head hasn’t there? Patton’s idea back in 1945 starting to look more and more like a missed opportunity?

Being under the thumb of the Russians kept the Eastern Europeans from killing one another till the wall fell. FIRST chance they got, they started killing one another. And those of us who have served in the FRG saw FIRST hand that we were only appreciated around payday. What was it the Poles would say, Business before Pleasure?

Fyrfighter

Starting to KoB? I think that happened about 5 minutes after General Pattons death (under suspicious circumstances i might add)

5th/77th FA

Word Fyrfighter. Had an interesting conversation on those subjects with the Curator of the Patton/Armor Museum at Fort Hard Knocks School for Wayward Boys back in ’71. His plan to kill Godless Communists AND the suspicious nature of his death. We could speculate on both subjects for days and still not know the truth…of either.

Have you read Bill O’Reilly’s Killing Patton? One of the very few conversations I ever overheard my Father say about his WWII Service was right after Ike made his MIC (Military Industrial Complex) Speech. I was about 6 or 7 yo but I remember it well. Papa was asked by another fellow what he thought about it all (MIC) since he had served under Patton and Ike in the ETO. He replied, “Well they got away with killing Patton, didn’t they.” This little pitcher had very big ears back then.

26Limabeans

We need to get out of Europe.
Their energy comes from Russia so let them suck on that teat
for their defense as well. WW2 is over. The Marshall plan
needs to be ended.

And while we are at it…get the fuck out of the middle east.

Fyrfighter

I don’t know about that Beans, I mean, after all, having forces available and ready in Italy was a huge benefit when our facilities in Libya were attacked right??

oooh wait….

Guess it all depends on who’s been elected… One more reason to NOT vote democrat!

Ex-PH2

Yeah, but Fyrfighter, not one of the current crop of kiddies has had to live under the real threat of nukes being launched from Cuba, so they think there’s no need for a lot of this stuff. The money could be better spent (of course) on numbing their tiny minds into mud.

Club Manager, USA retired

Given the current mobility capability, there is no need to have thousands of troops in forward positions. Don’t anticipate Russian tanks are coming across the Fulda Gap anytime soon. Do not need troops in Belgium or most of those other countries. Bring them home, let families grow together and deploy when necessary. I still contend the only reason we had such a large presence in Bangkok was to support officers’ wives shopping needs. Germany was a great three year vacation and I suspect England, Spain and other well hidden assignments are as well. Bring them home and spend the savings on important things like changing uniforms again.

Berliner

Agree. That would give the kids in school stability.

Ex-PH2

No, I think the kids in school need to have the crap scared out of them about whether or not they’d survive something – and by tiny minds, I do NOT mean grade-schoolers. I mean high school and up.

timactual

Where would you rather be stationed—Ft. Bliss, Ft. Hood, or anywhere in Europe?

Me too.

Why is AFRICOM located in Stuttgart and even its subsidiary HQs in Germany?

Mustang Major

I would bring them all back and put them on our northern boarder. The Canadians have been too quiet lately. They are up to something. Just saying…

MCPO USN

Mustang,

Good one!

But seriously, I would put them at our Southern border where they are needed.