Army May Rethink Europe Drawdown

The Army’s plan to scale down strength in Europe from 42,000 soldiers to 32,000 is getting a hard second look. During a Feb. 17 press conference, Gen. Carter Ham, the commander of U.S. Army Europe and the 7th Army, told reporters that sustaining the troop total in Europe is essential because at any given time, at least a third of soldiers there are deployed to Kosovo, Iraq, or Afghanistan. The reduction of 10,000 troops would be complete by 2012 or 2013, according to present plans. Ham told reporters he made a formal request to keep the higher Europe troop strength to his boss, Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, the commander of all NATO and U.S. forces there. Craddock is expected to discuss the matter with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.