August 17, 2004: President George W. Bush's plan to make large reductions in U.S. troop levels in Europe has drawn mixed reactions in Germany, which is the country most likely to be affected the most by the change. Currently there are about 70,000 U.S. troops in Germany, along with 100,000 dependents and civilian workers.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact alliance, an adjustment in U.S. military strategy and troop deployment in Europe was widely expected. A spokeman for chancellor Gerhard Schröder announced that the German government understands the need for a realignment of American forces. German news media quoted U.S. secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld as saying that "they [the German government] are doing the same thing [with their armed forces], and they understand what is going on." The announcement was no surprise for the German government. Pentagon official Douglas Feith had informed Schröder's government in May that an announcement about a troop redeployment was coming.

The exact number of troops to be affected is as yet unknown. However, the British newspaper "Financial Times" reported this week that America's current troop strength in Europe would be reduced by two thirds and that the majority of the troops affected would be withdrawn from Germany.

Christian Schmidt, a defense policy expert in the "Christian Democratic Union" [CDU] opposition party, warns that the impending troop reduction may affect Europe's security. According to Schmidt, the plan to redeploy American forces shows that the United States is beginning to distance itself from the NATO alliance. In an interview with the "Nordwest-Zeitung", Schmidt called for Britain and Germany to take the lead in giving NATO a new sense of direction. He also expressed his hope that a reduction in American forces would not have a negative impact on domestic European policy. As a case in point, he cited the Kosovo crisis five years ago, when Europe was unable to impose a resolution without large-scale U.S. military support.

Social Democratic Party member Reinhold Robbe, chairman of the Bundestag's defense committee, described the planned troop withdrawal as a "harsh blow" for the affected communities in Germany. U.S. soldiers and their dependents are a key economic factor in many of the mid-size and smaller towns where they are stationed and often represent a sizeable part of the local economy. In addition to the direct loss of their purchasing power in the local communities affected by the plan, a troop reduction would mean numerous base closings and the loss of hundreds of jobs currently held by Germans.