Global posture realignment to take place over time

  • Published
  • By Samantha L. Quigley
  • American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  "The first message I would pass to troops and their families is that they needn't pack their bags," a senior Department of Defense official said Aug. 17, referring to plans for globally realigning U.S. armed forces.

Andrew Hoehn, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy, reassured servicemembers and their families that any changes would not be made in haste.

"This is something that's going to take place over a period of time," he said.

As restructuring plans progress, senior defense officials said department officials will follow closely any developments. DOD officials have set up a special e-mail address at gpquestions@osd.mil for people to send in questions, and they will release articles to address concerns.

Mr. Hoehn referred to President Bush's announcement Aug. 16 that said the government is entering a different stage of the realignment process, from consulting with allies and partners to presenting ideas to these groups more formally.

Perhaps more important to the troops was the message of how the realignment of forces is going to affect troops and their families. The president made it clear that this was a process that would take 10 years to complete, Mr. Hoehn said.

"They'll have plenty of notice," Mr. Hoehn said about servicemembers and families. "It is our intention that these are changes that need to take place. But we're going to do them in a time and (at) a pace [so] that all the parties are going to have sufficient information that they can act upon, and they can plan."

The ability to plan for moves and deployments is important, but the president said he realizes that this is only a start.

"The president is very concerned with the welfare of our forces," Mr. Hoehn said. "It is a real statement about the concern for the welfare of our servicemembers and for their families to bring that kind of predictability, that stability to their lives that so many seek."

Some changes being considered are longer tours of duty and fewer permanent station moves during a career, Mr. Hoehn said. This means that servicemembers' spouses can pursue employment options and keep their jobs longer, children can stay in schools longer, and families and children have more time with grandparents, aunts and uncles.

"Of course, we have missions that we're all going to be carrying out and will be called upon,” he said. “And when duty calls, we'll respond."

The decisions regarding any effect on forces returning to the United States are going to be taken within the base realignment and closure process, Mr. Hoehn said. DOD's internal work on that is already under way, but the BRAC commission does not form until May. Once the BRAC commission makes its recommendations, Congress, which has and will continue to play a vital role in realigning the armed forces, will have to make a decision, Mr. Hoehn said.

The government would not even have a final decision on the disposition of forces until about a year from now, Mr. Hoehn said. Funding for any adjustments that may have to be made would have to be secured, and this pushes any actual changes out at least a year to 18 months.

Some of these changes involve the stateside movement of a large number of servicemembers. These troop movements could include the return of two heavy divisions currently stationed in Germany to the United States. They would be replaced with a Stryker brigade, which combatant commanders feel is more fitting to face the challenges overseas, Mr. Hoehn said.

This strategy falls in line with the realignment strategy of making American forces lighter, faster and more agile.

President Bush indicated in his speech Aug. 16 that the movement of 60,000 to 70,000 servicemembers, mostly from Europe, and 100,000 family members stateside was not out of the question. The president added that a "very substantial" U.S. military ground presence would remain.

While they will remain, the location of these servicemembers will be adjusted to meet the new threats the United States faces.

"The threat that we thought we would confront in Europe is one that is no more," Mr. Hoehn said. "I think it was right and appropriate in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War that we not make any drastic adjustments, because we wanted to make sure that those changes were lasting ones."

Now the country faces new challenges and must retool its fighting forces to meet those challenges head on, Mr. Hoehn said.