As DOD Leaves Germany, Spangdahlem Left Hanging

摘要

The Defense Department's plan to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany will not affect Ramstein Air Force Base, the Air Force's biggest base in the region, but raises long-term questions about the future of Spangdahlem Air Base, which will lose its F-16s and fighter mission if the closure is completed. Plans to move tankers and special operations forces there were canceled with the July 29 announcement by Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John E. Hyten, and U.S. European Command boss Gen. Tod D. Wolters. Among 11,900 jobs to be moved under their new plans, 6,400 would return to the U.S., while the remainder would be relocated elsewhere in Europe. The plan calls for moving the 480th Fighter Squadron and other parts of the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem to Aviano Air Base, Italy, where they will "better increase security along NATO's eastern flank and help preserve peace," according to U.S. Air Forces in Europe.