25 March 2004
Rumsfeld: Future U.S. Military Posture Won't Disadvantage Allies
Defense Department Report, March 25: Realignment Process Update
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says any future changes made to the U.S. force posture will be made in consultation with allies and will not be detrimental to allied interests.
During a March 25 Pentagon briefing, Rumsfeld was repeatedly pressed for specifics about U.S. plans to reposition troops around the world, and he insisted that recent media reports about what the United States plans to do are pure speculation. Radio and television reports merely reflect opinions, he said, adding: "They not only don't know (what will happen), they can't know."
Rumsfeld said even he doesn't know what the outcome will be until the process of consultation --- which is just beginning --- is completed and officials have a chance to draw conclusions. After that, he said, Defense Department officials will look at the available choices and make associated cost estimates before any announcements can be made. The whole process, the secretary said, will take years to implement.
The push to reconfigure the U.S. military posture is prompted by the need to reduce the stress on constantly rotating troops, as well as the goal of pre-positioning troops closer to likely arenas of conflict. Although there were troop reductions following the end of the Cold War, Rumsfeld said, most troops remain in locations that are inappropriate for current and future wars.
The chance of needing to fight a tank war in Germany, for example, is now "so modest," the secretary said, "that it calls for a review of how we're arranged."
Consultations are beginning with key allies to determine what responsibilities they are willing to undertake and what agreements and understandings can be reached, Rumsfeld said. At the end of the process, he said, choices will be made, but the ultimate decisions will be driven by a number of principles, including:
-- not all troops will be sent home because a U.S. presence abroad has both a deterrent effect and provides needed military-to-military training opportunities;
-- troops should be posted where they are welcome; and
-- forces must be arrayed in a flexible way in locations where they can be deployed for whatever missions may be necessary.
Rumsfeld said it is unlikely that the entire global realignment would be announced simultaneously, but rather that it would be revealed in smaller segments.
He refused efforts by various reporters to be drawn into any specific discussions that he said would amount to premature speculation.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
