Military to scout East Europe base sites

STUTTGART, Germany -- Teams of American military specialists will begin scouting multiple sites in Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania this week to evaluate their potential to host new US land, sea, and air installations, military officials here said.

The assessment teams plan to arrive in the three former Soviet-bloc countries tomorrow and work for about one week evaluating ports, airfields, and training facilities before reporting back to their superiors.

The surveying mission, the first of several that will take place in the coming months, represents the latest stage of a plan by the US Armed Forces European Command to reposition its forces on the continent to more effectively fight the war on terrorism and better respond to other 21st century challenges. Similar restructuring and transformation efforts are underway in other US military commands around the globe.

Over the past year, US officials have repeatedly mentioned the three Eastern European nations as prime candidates to host American troops. But the arrival of military engineers, logisticians, and airfield analysts, to assess specific locations indicates the process is picking up momentum.

"There have not been any final decisions made yet, but 80 percent of the solution is there," a senior US military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Officials point out that several hurdles remain before any decision is made, including ongoing consultations with jittery NATO allies, most notably Germany, which stands to lose the most from troops relocating, and with Russia, which has staunchly opposed US forces moving closer to its borders. And once the United States decides where it wants to open new facilities, it still must negotiate and sign agreements with potential host nations.

"It isn't just a matter of looking at a map" and deciding where you want to go, the military official added.

A decision on where to open the facilities could be made as early as this summer, officials say, although the entire transformation could take years.

The idea of relocating US forces in Europe has been discussed for years, and was officially made public in detail last March when General James Jones, the commander of US forces in Europe, announced a broad vision for restructuring in the region.

Jones's plan called for closing some bases in Germany, where most US forces on the continent are based, and opening new facilities in southern and Eastern Europe, and possibly Africa, closer to perceived threats. It also envisioned consolidating remaining US bases in Germany and reducing permanent troop numbers in Europe, with unspecified units returning to the United States.

The changes are part of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld's plan to transform the military from a large standing force designed to fight a land war against the Soviet Union into lighter, nimble units that can quickly and stealthily deploy to unconventional battles in the war on terrorism.

The potential new installations in Eastern Europe and Africa will in no way resemble the kind of massive bases the United States built in Germany during the Cold War.

"There aren't going to be any new Ramsteins," another military official said, referring to the massive US air base near Frankfurt. In fact, US officials are not even referring to the proposed new facilities as bases, preferring the terms "forward operating sites" and "forward operating locations."

These sites and locations could range from small facilities for refueling stations or airstrips, to training facilities and bare-bones installations that could be used for training and for combat launchpads. "What we are interested in are, perhaps, forward operating locations that we could train at temporarily, or we can have agreements at particular airfields that make it easier for us to deploy to particular areas of potential crisis," Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said in Washington last month.

The new types of facilities reflect the changing nature of how US troops will deploy to Europe, officials said. Such troops currently come for three-year tours and bring their families, creating the need for massive bases resembling small cities, complete with kindergartens, shopping centers, and movie theaters.

Under the new plan, troops would deploy for three to six months without their families. They would not have the creature comforts of today's large bases in Europe. In the words of one US military official, using the facilities "will be sort of like opening and closing your beach house."

This week's mission follows a high-profile visit to Europe by Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman and Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith in December when the two consulted with key European allies and with Russia about the impending changes.

In addition to opening the new installations, an unspecified number of units in Europe will relocate to the United States. US legislators are expected to lobby and compete fiercely to get the returning troops based in their districts.

"We may announce our desire to bring a squadron or unit home from Europe, but we won't be able to say where it will go," a senior US military official said.