U.S. Army to Vacate 13 Bases in Germany

The Associated Press

July 29, 2005

(Short Story)

BERLIN - The U.S. Army will pull out of 13 bases in southern Germany as part of a repositioning of American forces around the world, its European headquarters said Friday.

The 11 bases in and around the Bavarian city of Wuerzburg will be handed over to the German government by September 2007, a statement from the Army's European headquarters in Heidelberg said. Two more bases near Wuerzburg will be closed and handed over in subsequent years.

The closures are part of plans to return the headquarters of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division to the United States next year and relocate other units.

The U.S. Department of Defense said the changes will affect about 6,100 soldiers; 11,000 family members; 1,000 Army civilian employees; and 1,000 civilians employed locally.

The United States is withdrawing forces that were based in Western Europe to confront the Soviet Union during the Cold War, bringing many units home and opening smaller, more flexible bases to respond to new threats, including international terrorism.

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