WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials are considering whether to halt the drawdown of

U.S. troops in Europe because of the war in Iraq and other world developments.

A Defense Department official said Monday that some defense leaders are studying
whether the 2002 plan to cut troops on the continent by nearly half still makes sense
today with America's ongoing wars, worsening relations with Russia and Iran and a
recent plan to expand the Army.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak
about the proposal on the record.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are considering
recommendations in a June 26 report on the subject requested by Gen. Bantz Craddock,
who questioned the troop reduction plan shortly after taking over late last year as head of
the U.S. European Command.

The decrease in troops so far — amid repeated deployments to the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan by those remaining in Europe — has forced officials to cancel military
exercises and other activities with European allies, the official said.

The idea of cutting troops from 68,000 in 2001 to 28,000 by 2012 was part of an
initiative by former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to transform the military into
a leaner, more cost-effective force.

Cmdr. J.A. Surette, a spokesman for the European Command, said he didn't have the
most updated figures for the drawdown so far by the Army alone, but that as of May there
had been a cut of roughly 13,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen in Europe, leaving 100,000.

"The concern I have is the ability to conduct the missions that we've been given in
European Command with the forces available, because the forces are ... moving into Iraq
and Afghanistan on a rotating basis," Craddock told Congress earlier this year. He said he
feared that too severe a cut would hamper his ability to tend to partnerships the military
wants to foster in the region.

James Townsend, director of the program on international security at the Atlantic Council
of the United States, said a decision to stop drawing down U.S. forces in Europe would
probably be based on the usefulness of those troops in other more demanding areas, such
as the Middle East.

"It's a sign the administration is looking in every available nook and cranny for forces,"
Townsend said. "They're finding that in terms of logistics, or in terms of force flow, that
it is more convenient and easier to do it out of bases in Europe."

Forces in Europe have been needed in an Iraq war that has gone on longer than expected.
Relations with Iran have worsened over that nation's alleged interference in Iraq and its
nuclear program. There are fresh tensions with Russia over its opposition to the U.S.
missile defense plan and U.S. allegations that Russia is backsliding on democracy.

A portion of the troops from Europe were to come back and be stationed in the United
States. But the military is going through a mandated consolidation and closing of some
domestic bases, threatening a shortfall in housing for those returning.

And that's before the planned increase in the size of the Army. Gates early this year set a
goal of increasing the size of the active-duty Army by 65,000 to 547,000 and Marines by
27,000 to 202,000 within five years in hopes of easing some of the strain caused by
commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Along with the plan to cut the Army presence in Europe to 28,000 from 62,000, the idea
also was to reduce the Navy there to 25,000 from 35,000 and the Air Force to 8,000 from
15,00

Terjemahan trans tool :

WASHINGTON- Pejabat Segilima sedang mempertimbangkan apakah untuk berhenti drawdown

U.S. pasukan di (dalam) Eropa oleh karena peperangan di (dalam) Iraq dan lain pengembangan
dunia.

IKLAN

Suatu Pejabat Departemen Pertahanan berkata Senin yang beberapa para pemimpin
pertahanan sedang belajar apakah yang 2002 merencanakan untuk memotong pasukan pada
[atas] benua dengan hampir separuh masih bisa dipertimbangkan hari ini dengan Peperangan
berkelanjutan America's, memperburuk hubungan dengan Rusia Dan Iran dan suatu rencana
terbaru untuk memperluas Angkatan perang [itu].

Pejabat berbicara pada [atas] kondisi keadaan tanpa nama sebab ia tidaklah diberi hak untuk
membicarakan proposal [itu] pada [atas] [record/ catatan].

Sekretaris Pertahanan Robert Gerbang dan Pemimpin-Pemimin Staff [yang] Yang hubungkan
adalah mempertimbangkan pujian/rekomendasi di (dalam) suatu Juni 26 laporan pada [atas]
pokok materi yang diminta oleh Informasi. Bantz Craddock, [siapa] yang menanya rencana
pengurangan pasukan [itu] tidak lama sesudah mengambil alih akhir-akhirnya tahun lalu
[sebagai/ketika] kepala [itu] U.S. Perintah Mengenai Eropa.

Penurunan pasukan sejauh ini— di antara mengulangi penyebaran kepada peperangan di

(dalam) Iraq Dan Afghanistan oleh [mereka/yang] sisa[nya] Eropa— telah memaksa pejabat
untuk batalkan latihan militer dan lain aktivitas dengan Musuh Jerman PD I mengenai Eropa,
pejabat berkata.

Gagasan untuk memotong pasukan dari 68,000 2001 [bagi/kepada] 28,000 oleh 2012 menjadi
bagian dari dari suatu prakarsa oleh Sekretaris Pertahanan terdahulu Donald H. Rumsfeld untuk
mengubah bentuk militer [itu] ke dalam suatu bersandar, kekuatan [yang] lebih hemat biaya.

Cmdr. J.A. Surette, suatu juru bicara untuk Perintah Yang mengenai Eropa, berkata ia tidak
mempunyai figur [yang] yang paling dibaharui untuk drawdown sejauh ini oleh Angkatan perang
sendiri, tetapi bahwa mulai dari Mei [di/ke] sana tadinya suatu memotong dengan kasar 13,000
tentara, pelaut dan airmen di (dalam) TERPOTONG. ALINEA TERLALU BESAR,