US army to reduce ground forces in Europe to 24,000

AFP/Yahoo News
April 12, 2005

(EXCERPT)
HEIDELBERG, Germany (AFP) - The United States is going to reduce the number of American ground soldiers stationed in Europe to 24,000 from the current 64,000 troops within the next five to 10 years, a US army spokeswoman said.

The proposed troop reduction would result in only four of the 13 main operating bases remaining.

The four bases would be; Wiesbaden in central Germany, which would become the European headquarters for US ground forces, and Kaiserslautern in western Germany, Grafenwoehr in southern Germany and Vicenza in northern Italy, according to the spokeswoman, Elke Herberger.

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