THE US: President George W. Bush yesterday announced plans to bring home up to 70,000 troops from Europe and Asia within a decade. But Democrats said the major military realignment was a politically motivated move during an election year.
"The world has changed a great deal and our posture must change with it," Mr Bush said of his plan for one of the biggest shifts of US forces since the Cold War.
Addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars in the battleground state of Ohio, Mr Bush said more troops would eventually be stationed in the United States, and those remaining overseas would have more combat power to "surge quickly to deal with unexpected threats". He said closing bases would also save American taxpayers' money.
But advisers to Democratic presidential rival John Kerry warned the plan could make America more vulnerable.
"This ill-conceived move and its timing seem politically motivated rather than designed to strengthen our national security," said retired general Mr Wesley Clark. "As we face a global war on terror, with al-Qaeda active in more than 60 countries, now is not the time to pull back our forces," Mr Clark asserted.
White House officials said the realignment would take seven to 10 years, but it could be welcome news for many military families and appeal to some veterans, an important voting bloc in the November election.
Mr Bush said the realignment plan was part of a long-term commitment to "reduce the stress on our troops and our military families". It could also mean big changes in long-standing arrangements with key allies, particularly Germany, as well as South Korea and Japan, and will result in more US troops on home soil at a time when critics say deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched forces too thin.
A White House official stressed the moves were being taken in close consultation with US allies.
As of the end of March, the US had 116,505 troops in Europe, including 75,603 in Germany alone. The US has another 97,724 troops in east Asia and the Pacific. Mr Bush's plan does not include the 125,000 US troops now in Iraq and nearly 20,000 in Afghanistan.
Mr Kerry has said he would "significantly" cut American troop levels in Iraq within a year. Mr Bush says withdrawing troops from Iraq "sends the wrong signal to the enemy". - (Reuters)