US military restructures base savings

In the United States on Friday, the Pentagon recommended the closure of 33 large US military bases and the alteration of 29 others, as well as the closure and/or restructuring of 775 smaller installations around the country over the next six years.

While the Pentagon characterizes the closures and restructurings as a response to the realities of a post-Cold War world, the changes are also seen as a money-saving move that will save the government nearly $50 billion over the next 20 years.

Many of the proposed closures will undoubtedly be protested by the surrounding communities and their elected representatives due to the enormous impact of the closures on the economies of those communities.

Besides the stateside closures, the Pentagon has already announced plans to close bases in South Korea and Germany that would return 70,000 troops to US soil.

These closures of foreign bases, however, may be slowed down after an independent commission report this week that too rapid a pull-out might compromise the national security of the United States.

The closing of the German and South Korean bases would save the US government an additional $14 billion.

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