U.S. may reduce forces in Germany

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has advised Germany that as part of a global shifting of U.S. military forces, it wants to withdraw its two Army divisions and replace them with fewer, lighter, more mobile troops.

The move would represent a significant change in the U.S. military presence in Europe, where American forces stood guard throughout the Cold War against the threat of a land invasion from the Soviet Union. The Pentagon has no intention of abandoning Europe but wants more flexibility in the way it can move Germany-based forces into other parts of the world like the Middle East, U.S. officials have said.

Defense Undersecretary Douglas J. Feith briefed senior German defense and diplomatic officials last week in Germany on the Pentagon thinking about U.S. troops in Germany.

Feith stressed in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that there's been no decision on U.S. troops in Germany. He said, however, that planning was "very far along," and "we are going to share our analysis" with the Germans.

A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the near-final Pentagon thinking on the matter was to withdraw the two American divisions.

President Bush and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder did not discuss the Pentagon's desire to withdraw its two Army divisions during a meeting at the Group of Eight summit in Georgia, an administration official said.

Feith said the Pentagon was "pushing forward with cutting-edge capabilities" and that fewer, lighter and more modern units would be moved into Germany.

"It is not a retreat," Feith said. "We are swapping some forces for others."

In the revamping, Feith, who is undersecretary of defense for policy, said the 5th Corps headquarters, which is in Germany and oversees nearly all U.S. Army troops in Europe, would be overhauled but remain a headquarters.

The two divisions in Germany are the 1st Armored and the 1st Infantry. They would be returned to the United States under the Pentagon plan although it was unclear where.

In Berlin last week, Germany and U.S. officials had insisted that the United States had yet to complete plans for any troop withdrawals from Germany and was still consulting with allies.

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Walter Lindner told reporters Friday that it was too early to publicly discuss timetables and numbers.