JustRalph
08-17-2004, 12:24 AM
anybody want to take a crack at what is really behind this? I think I know.........and it goes back about 2 years...........
Bush outlines massive troop shuffle
Last Updated Mon, 16 Aug 2004 21:33:50
WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush is pulling 60,000 to 70,000 American troops out of central Europe and Asia, redeploying them on American soil and in eastern Europe.
The withdrawal will take up to a decade and will include the repatriation of 100,000 family members and support personnel, Bush told a conference of military veterans in Cincinnati on Monday.
George Bush speaks to veterans in Cincinnati, Ohio
"The world has changed a great deal and our posture must change with it, for the sake of our military families, for the sake of our taxpayers," Bush said.
"The new plan will help us fight and win the wars of the 21st century."
About 13,000 troops will leave South Korea, where 37,000 soldiers are now stationed.
Most of the others will withdraw from American bases in Germany as the United States scales back organizational structures left over from the Cold War.
The bases were set up after the Second World War, when the main enemies of the U.S. were countries in the former Soviet bloc.
Russia is now an ally, while a loose coalition of militant groups led by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda is seen as the greatest threat to U.S. citizens and business interests.
Bush released details of the troop realignment at a campaign speech to 15,000 delegates at a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Cincinnati.
He also used the opportunity to underline his administration's increased financial support for veterans and serving soldiers alike, and boast about his record of bringing about regime change in Afghanistan and Iraq after the 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States.
The President said his government remains committed to tracking down militants abroad. "We must continue to aggressively pursue them and defeat them in foreign lands so that we do not have to face them here at home," he said to applause from the veterans.
Many of the returning troops will be stationed at bases in the U.S. to shore up homeland security. Others will end up serving in eastern Europe or in the Middle East, where they can be quickly deployed to trouble spots.
About 200,000 members of the American armed forces serve overseas in places other than Iraq and Afghanistan, the current mission priorities of the U.S.
Another 140,000 soldiers are stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bush's opponent, Democrat John Kerry, has said he will bring home some troops from Iraq within six months of taking office.
Saying that kind of statement "sends the wrong message" to militants and peace-loving Iraqi citizens alike, Bush vowed: "We will stay until the job is completed."
Bush's claim that the realignment of troops will save money and make America safer was immediately attacked by Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under former Democratic president Bill Clinton.
Holbrooke said the move will create massive organizational chaos at a precarious time, given terrorist threats against American interests around the world, and will cost billions of dollars that could be better spent.
Bush outlines massive troop shuffle
Last Updated Mon, 16 Aug 2004 21:33:50
WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush is pulling 60,000 to 70,000 American troops out of central Europe and Asia, redeploying them on American soil and in eastern Europe.
The withdrawal will take up to a decade and will include the repatriation of 100,000 family members and support personnel, Bush told a conference of military veterans in Cincinnati on Monday.
George Bush speaks to veterans in Cincinnati, Ohio
"The world has changed a great deal and our posture must change with it, for the sake of our military families, for the sake of our taxpayers," Bush said.
"The new plan will help us fight and win the wars of the 21st century."
About 13,000 troops will leave South Korea, where 37,000 soldiers are now stationed.
Most of the others will withdraw from American bases in Germany as the United States scales back organizational structures left over from the Cold War.
The bases were set up after the Second World War, when the main enemies of the U.S. were countries in the former Soviet bloc.
Russia is now an ally, while a loose coalition of militant groups led by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda is seen as the greatest threat to U.S. citizens and business interests.
Bush released details of the troop realignment at a campaign speech to 15,000 delegates at a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Cincinnati.
He also used the opportunity to underline his administration's increased financial support for veterans and serving soldiers alike, and boast about his record of bringing about regime change in Afghanistan and Iraq after the 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States.
The President said his government remains committed to tracking down militants abroad. "We must continue to aggressively pursue them and defeat them in foreign lands so that we do not have to face them here at home," he said to applause from the veterans.
Many of the returning troops will be stationed at bases in the U.S. to shore up homeland security. Others will end up serving in eastern Europe or in the Middle East, where they can be quickly deployed to trouble spots.
About 200,000 members of the American armed forces serve overseas in places other than Iraq and Afghanistan, the current mission priorities of the U.S.
Another 140,000 soldiers are stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bush's opponent, Democrat John Kerry, has said he will bring home some troops from Iraq within six months of taking office.
Saying that kind of statement "sends the wrong message" to militants and peace-loving Iraqi citizens alike, Bush vowed: "We will stay until the job is completed."
Bush's claim that the realignment of troops will save money and make America safer was immediately attacked by Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under former Democratic president Bill Clinton.
Holbrooke said the move will create massive organizational chaos at a precarious time, given terrorist threats against American interests around the world, and will cost billions of dollars that could be better spent.