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Fri 29 Aug, 2003 11:33 am
Washington Times - 8/29/03
Army Europe
Some in the Army are predicting that the 1st Armored Division, based in Germany, will never go back to Europe once its rotation ends in Iraq next year. Instead, the division of 20,000-plus soldiers will relocate stateside, perhaps at Fort Riley, Kan., or Fort Carson, Colo.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld wants a smaller Army presence in Europe, so it makes sense to send the division back home next year instead of sending it back to Germany and then the United States.
The Pentagon also plans to disperse Army units from Germany into Eastern European bases and to rotate forces in and out of Europe to maintain a strong presence.
White writes
Former Army Secretary Thomas E. White has weighed into the debate over how to run post-Saddam Hussein Iraq.
He is out with a new book "Reconstructing Eden," which offers what the retired Army general says is a "comprehensive plan for the postwar political and economic development of Iraq."
"Unbelievably, American lives are being lost daily and the U.S. is spending over $4 billion per month in Iraq without a cohesive, integrated plan to build a stable, self-sufficient country within an identified timeframe," Gen. White said in a note to this column that accompanied the book.
"We did not conduct the war this way, and we should not continue rebuilding the country in a haphazard manner. The result will be a financial disaster, more lives lost, chaos in Iraq and squandered American goodwill."
Among Gen. White's proposals:
U.S. forces will end security operations by June 30, 2005, turning over those chores to a coalition-trained police force and military. The total cost of reconstruction at that point would be $150 billion. Military operations in the theater will cost the United States $58 billion, from January to the end of the current fiscal year Sept. 30.
The United States should communicate more with the international community on producing a comprehensive plan for reconstructing Iraq and transforming it into a democratic, capitalist country.
To improve what administrator L. Paul Bremer acknowledges is a security problem, the coalition should issue photo ID cards to all Iraqis during the transition to a new constitution. Another measure is strict gun control, allowing citizens to only keep registered small arms.
Iraq's new constitution should call for an American-style democracy, with an executive branch headed by an elected president, balanced by legislative and judicial branches. The country would be divided into 18 provinces, each ruled by a governor.
"Reconstructing Eden" was published by the Houston-based CountryWatch, which conducts research on the world's 192 countries for businesses and other organizations. Co-authors are Robert C. Kelly, John M. Cape, and Denise Youngblood Coleman.
A lot of the rhetoric about closing posts in Germany appeared in the wake of the administration's temper tantrum over Germany not following in lockstep the plans of our own petty dictator.
However, the raison d'etre for the bases in Europe was deterrence of a soviet threat. I don't know how often I heard about the Russians pouring through the Fulda Gap in a first battle of WW III. Even in the early 1990s it was generally acknowledged by those of us in the military that we really had no mission where we were. Closing bases may not be a bad idea. It willmake the Germans happier, and improve the image of Americans abroad. I'm all for it.
Quote:Closing bases may not be a bad idea. It willmake the Germans happier, and improve the image of Americans abroad. I'm all for it.
Yep. Long overdue. Bring them home.
I'm all for it too. I'd also return the troops based in Korea, Japan, and most other locations in favor of the temporary deployments like we see in the Philippines or in Colombia.
I think the only place where having posts makes sense is in hot spots like Korea. As for Germany, it will mean the end of an enlightening experience for a lot of young Americans (and I am being serious, for a change, I am NOT talking about the red-light district across from the Bahnhof in Frankfurt!). My time in Deutschland led me to the field I am engaged in today. Others have had similar experiences, being exposed to different cultures and peoples and seeking to further their understanding (in my case it was my first real exposure to western culture). Unfortunately most youg GIs simply wish to undersrtand where the beer and the babes are.
I'm thinking we had better bide out time in Korea, as well. Hopefully, we'll get an 'all clear' before we are needed.
Did anyone catch Biden on Maher tonight? He seems to think we may get stuck holding the bag there... that they already have the bomb (offered by Bill, not refuted by Biden), and that Japan is backing off. This is heresay from a comedy show--I guess as good as we get from the news outlets...
I don't think we are willing to do what it takes (and there are several options) to de-nuclearize the penninsula.
1) Non-agression Treaty
2) War
I'm not willing to do #2 either.
I'm afraid the administration is likely to talk themselves into option two if they think it will help them in the polls. :mad:
I wouldn't mind a non-aggression treaty, with mondo stipulations on their behavior. Why do you think Clinton and Bush I didn't enter into one with NK? I mean, did we try it before, and run into problems?
Hmmm - could be right. But North Korea is no Iraq. I guess Iraq is proving no Iraq.
Would the north sign such a thing? Has it been offered?
I don't think a non-agression treaty was much of an an issue in previous administrations.
I happen to think North Korea's erratic behavior partially the result of a real fear of the US.
It's not the US trying to get the non-agression treaty signed with NK, it's North Korea demanding that a non-agression treaty be the foundation of any disarmament talks and the current US administration repeatedly saying that it is not on the table.
To me this is a mistake. A non-agression treaty in exchange for verified disarmament of their nuclear program would be tricky but worth it IMO.
roger wrote:Kaiser Strass, hobitbob?
Ja, Kaiser Strasse.
I was often the designated "make sure everyone gets home" guy. And many of them were awfully cute, too! There was one place we referred to as the "seven floors'o'whores..." well, I'll leave the rest to your imagination. Let's just say that it didn't hold much appeal for me after the first visit. I had seen "Christianne F." when it first came out in the 1980s,and though this was certainly no "Bahnhof Zoo," the whole thing was rather too sordid for words.
roger
Did you miss the Moselstrasse?
Ah, that's a new one to me, Walter. All I can say is that when it was time to return stateside, I was sorry to leave and glad to be going home, if you know what I mean.
One of my less proud moments:
On arriving at Sea-Tac after my time in Deutschland I had the Ft. Lewis shuttle driver swing through Taco Bell (the only fast food place that had not made it to Europe in the early 1990s). Yuck! So much for my sole reason for returning!
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