U.S. Army Europe-Africa announced yesterday that it will retain six bases in Europe that had been slated to be closed and transfer a seventh one to the U.S. Air Force. Six of the bases are in Germany and the seventh is in Belgium. The base to be transferred is in Germany. The Army is keeping the installations because of its increasing presence in Europe, the release explained, reported Military Times. The bases had originally been scheduled to be closed as part of a Pentagon base consolidation plan dating from 2015.
The Trump Administration in July 2020 had ordered the reduction of U.S. forces in Germany by about 12,000 troops, a decision that was largely reversed by the Biden Administration in April when Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that not only would the number of U.S. troops in Europe remain at 35,000, but also that 500 more would be added.
