US Army to keep six sites in Europe, cancelling plan to transfer facilities to Germany and Belgium
- Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a review to assess how the US can best support its worldwide network of troops, weapons, bases and alliances
- The US has made it clear that it views China – not militant groups such as al-Qaeda or Islamic State – as the top national security challenge
The US Army in Europe and Africa said on Friday it will retain six sites that were previously expected to be returned to Germany and Belgium amid growing demand for facilities on the continent. A seventh site, in Germany, will be transferred to the Air Force, it said.
The sites were originally announced for closure in 2015 and, in one case, 2010. But the decision was reassessed as demand for facilities outgrew construction and renovation.
The sites being retained in Germany are the Barton Barracks, Ansbach; Pulaski Barracks, Kaiserslautern; Coleman Barracks, Mannheim; Weilimdorf Warehouse, Stuttgart and Amelia Earhart Centre, Wiesbaden.
In Belgium, the US Army is holding on to the Daumerie Barracks, it said. The Husterhoeh Barracks in Pirmasens, Germany, will be handed to US Air Forces in Europe-Africa.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a months-long “global posture” review just days after taking office in January. That review is not complete, and is expected to be finished in the autumn.
The review will assess how the United States can best arrange and support its worldwide network of troops, weapons, bases and alliances to align with changing foreign policy and security threats.
