Bush Announces Repositioning of US Forces

President Bush announced on Monday the repositioning of US military personnel around the world. About 60,000-70,000 troops will return to bases in the US. While the Democrats cried "politics," more detached observers can easily see the wisdom in this realignment of military assets. Moreover, since these moves won't begin until at least 2006, there is plenty of time to make sure that security concerns continue to be met. Mr. Bush and his team got this one right.

The US currently deploys the 1st Armored Division and 1st Infantry Division in Germany. Not West Germany, just Germany. The two heavy divisions with around 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers currently defend nothing. Germany faces no external threat from another nation-state, so the replacement of these heavy divisions with lighter, more mobile brigades makes some sense. The withdrawal from Germany altogether is probably unwise at this point, but after the ex-Soviet empire has another ten years of recovery, threats to the internal stability of Germany's neighbors should be gone.

The reduction of troops from South Korea is more problematic given North Korea's criminal regime. America's 37,000 combat troops are there are a trip wire -- if they are attacked, the US is at war. Their reduction, redeployment or removal does undermine the American attachment to the Seoul government. However, it is a tangible offer to North Korea for which American diplomats may be able, with Chinese help, to extract some reward. And again, since it won't happen for a couple of years, no damage is done to American security interests immediately.

What has the Democrats wound tightest is the return of about 60,000 troops to the US. There are a great many bases on the closure list, and with this change, some of them are going to stay open. Some communities that were facing job losses and local recession get a new lease on life. And some congressmen and senators (and one president) can say they helped save the local base and all those jobs. Well, a grown-up would note that good policy and political rewards don't always go together, but that doesn't mean that political benefits are the result of bad policy.

Despite the complaining, the Bush administration is merely moving troops from places they aren't needed. The 60,000 troops coming back to the US should go to Iraq to shore up the appalling security situation there, but the Rumsfeld Doctrine that put too few boots on the ground to begin with is still official policy. Better to bring them home, then.


© Copyright 2004 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.


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