Pentagon announces base closures in Europe - Thehill

The U.S. military is closing 15 bases and facilities throughout Europe, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

The closures, part of a plan to consolidate infrastructure and save money, will result in a net decrease of about 2,000 U.S. troops and civilians in Europe.

The cost of the closures is $1.4 billion, but the savings will be $500 million annually beginning in the early 2020s, said John Conger, acting assistant secretary of Defense for energy, installations and environment.

Facilities in the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Portugal will be closed between 2018 and 2021, with as many as 1,100 host nation jobs lost.

"The United States remains strongly committed to NATO and our forward presence of military forces in Europe," said Gen. Philip Breedlove, the NATO supreme allied commander, in a statement Thursday.

"At the same time, in the context of a challenging fiscal environment, we must seek greater efficiencies with respect to our presence in Europe and ensure we are focusing resources where they can have the greatest effect," he said.

The U.S. currently has 67,000 troops in Europe.

Lawmakers and some defense experts have criticized the Pentagon for downsizing the number of U.S. forces in Europe, given a resurgent threat from Russia.   Read More at Pentagon announces base closures in Europe

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