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U.S. Eyes New Mobile Brigade for Germany

Oct- 7-2004 » Filed Under: General Military

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BERLIN (Reuters) - The United States plans to station a new Stryker armored vehicle brigade in southeastern Germany as early as 2006, just as it starts withdrawing some 30,000 troops from the country as part of a major force realignment.

Andrew Hoehn, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, told reporters on Thursday the new brigade would include about 3,000 troops and would be the centerpiece of a slimmer, more modern U.S. force in Europe.

"We are looking at forces and capabilities that can move to the fight. The Stryker brigade here in Germany will be the centerpiece of that posture," Hoehn said. [...]

Hoehn said there were no plans to bring any other new brigades to Germany on top of the Stryker unit, which he said would likely be based in the area near Grafenwoehr and Vilseck, east of Nuremberg, and arrive in 2006 or 2007.

The Stryker is a wheeled combat vehicle favored by the U.S. military for its battlefield mobility and firepower.

In August, President Bush unveiled plans to bring home up to 70,000 troops from Europe and Asia within a decade as the United States shifts its military focus to new extremist threats.

The withdrawals, scheduled to begin in 2006 and take place over a period of several years, are expected to include about 30,000 troops in two heavy divisions in Germany.


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