Troop realignment could cut Defense civilian jobs
As many as 70,000 troops would be removed from Europe or Asia, President Bush announced Monday.
Hundreds of Defense Department civilian jobs overseas likely will be eliminated as part of the Pentagon's plans to bring tens of thousands of troops back to the United States within the next decade.
"There probably will be some reductions in the numbers of civilians and contractors on the payroll by virtue of the fact that you will be closing or removing U.S. force structure from up to half, arguably, of the installations where we currently have force structure," a senior Defense Department official told reporters at a briefing on Monday. The official spoke only on the condition that he not be identified.
Earlier in the day, President Bush announced long-anticipated plans for the largest realignment of forces since the end of the Cold War. He said as many as 70,000 troops would be removed from Europe or Asia and returned mainly to the United States. The size of the military will not change, however, only its location, Defense officials stressed.
"Over the coming decade, we'll develop a more agile and more flexible force, which means that more of our troops will be stationed at home," Bush said during a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Cincinnati on Monday. He said the move would mean more time at home for troops and fewer moves throughout their careers.
Defense officials offered few specific details about what troops would be withdrawn or to what U.S. bases they would move. The Army is expected to withdraw at least two divisions from Germany, while more than 10,000 troops also are expected to leave the Korean peninsula, officials said. Troop withdrawals would not begin until late 2006 at the earliest and the movements could last a decade, officials added.
The senior Defense official said troops returning home probably would need a similar civilian and contractor staff to support their mission. As a result, the official said, layoffs are not expected because "there are jobs here in the U.S. where this force structure is going to return to."
Defense officials said bases receiving troops will be selected after next year's round of domestic military base closings. The Pentagon decided on what troops would be moved now to help "inform" the services as they make base-closing decisions. One official noted that troops would be based along or near major transportation routes so they could be deployed quickly.
Defense officials also declined to offer figures for how much money would be saved by moving troops home, but disputed a report this spring from the Congressional Budget Office that found the moves would cost $7 billion and save only $1 billion. A Defense official noted that the military services would save money by not having to pay for moving as many troops and their families between overseas bases and the United States.