The U.S. Army will pull thousands of troops out of Europe as part of an ongoing consolidation plan.
A new realignment plan announced by the Defense Department will see the U.S. Army reduce the number of troops stationed in Europe by 10,000 soldiers in addition to removing two brigade combat teams and one corps headquarters.
America's still sizable European force will also move around a bit inside Europe, with several units currently station in Germany shifting to a refurbished base in Italy.
The U.S. has been steadily consolidating its military footprint in Europe, as a useful Military Times rundown makes clear. Some U.S. lawmakers had pushed to remove all permanent troops out of Europe on the logic that the U.S. couldn't afford it and that many European nations had been neglecting their own NATO-mandated spending minimums, but the effort was squashed by the Senate.
Still, the trend line is clear. During the Cold War the U.S. stationed almost 400,000 troops in Europe. By 2015, the Army will have roughly 30,000 troops there, according to Lance Bacon.
(AP Photo)
