USAREUR chief calls for stop to drawdown

USAREUR chief calls for stop to drawdown
By Jim Tice - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Mar 2, 2009 11:36:30 EST

The drawdown of Army forces in Germany would be halted under a plan proposed by U.S. Army Europe commander Gen. Carter F. Ham.

Ham, recently in Washington for consultation with senior Army and Defense Department officials, said he has recommended that USAREUR manning be frozen at its current level of 42,000 soldiers, rather than continue the phased drawdown to a 32,000-soldier force by 2012-13.

The additional soldiers would allow the Army’s largest and oldest overseas command to maintain a maneuver force of four brigade combat teams in Germany and Italy, rather than two.

Ham said USAREUR needs the larger force to meet the command’s operational commitments for Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans and elsewhere, while simultaneously conducting an ambitious training and outreach program with allies, particularly the new member nations of NATO and nations seeking membership in the alliance.

The manning proposal is being evaluated by U.S. European Command but has not been formally presented to the Joint Chiefs of Staff or Defense Secretary Robert Gates.


Rest of article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/03/army_europe_030209w/%2e