Bush announces plans to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from abroad

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush on Monday announced plans to shift 60,000 to 70,000 U.S. troops who are now stationed in Europe and Asia in one of the largest troop realignments since the end of the Cold War.

Some of the troops would be shifted to posts in Eastern Europe, White House officials said, and it remained unclear if the overall number of U.S. troops stationed overseas would drop.

The action, which has been years in the making, follows years of debate over how to position U.S. troops to respond to modern-day threats such as terrorism and the volatile Middle East.

It could gain Bush election-year applause from military families, but won't ease the strain on 150,000 U.S. soldiers deployed to war zones, who are still battling violent factions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The world has changed a great deal and our posture must change with it - for the sake of our military families, for the sake of our taxpayers and so we can be more effective at projecting our strength and spreading freedom and peace," Bush said.

Bush spoke at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Cincinnati where veterans, wearing the group's trademark caps covered with colorful pins, gave him a warm welcome.

The president said the repositioning of forces would help save money on maintaining bases overseas.

"Our service members will have more time on the home front, and more predictability and fewer moves over a career," Bush said.

A significant portion of the troops would be sent to bases in the United States, although others could be shifted to posts in Eastern Europe, White House officials said.

A U.S. military official in Berlin offered a note of caution as the president spoke, saying Monday that any shift of major U.S. military units out of western Europe and Asia would take years and require further negotiation.

Even with Bush's endorsement, the plan will probably be put into practice only somewhere between 2006 and 2011, said the official, who is familiar with the process and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The official said some details have been discussed with the affected countries, but more talks would be needed to settle such matters as units, dates and specific numbers.

U.S. armed forces stationed abroad in places other than Iraq and Afghanistan number about 200,000. About half are in Europe. The Pentagon advised German officials earlier this year that it was thinking about removing two Army divisions from Germany and replacing them with smaller, more mobile units.