UK & World News
- 5 March 2013, 8:18
British Army Bases In Germany To Close By 2019
Detailed plans for a large scale re-basing of the British military will be announced by the Defence Secretary later.
The most notable move will be the repatriation of all armed forces from Germany.
It will bring to an end a long history of British military in the country, which dates back to the end of the Second World War.
Most of the 15,000 still serving there, and their dependents, will come home by 2016, ahead of schedule. The remainder, around 4,500, will return by 2019.
The intention to carry out these moves was first announced in 2010 after the Strategic Defence Review, but Philip Hammond will now reveal who is moving where and when after what has been a long period of consultation and analysis.
The announcement had been expected before Christmas but was delayed in light of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement because the Ministry of Defence had to re-examine the figures.
The moves will primarily affect the RAF and Army. RAF Leuchars in Scotland, for example, will become an Army base in the near future. Likewise the RAF Station in Cottesmore will be a new home to some of the soldiers returning from Germany.
Edinburgh, Aldershot, Catterick, Colchester and Stafford will also house returning troops.
Commenting on the moves, a Ministry of Defence source said: "This will not only provide a boost to the economy, but also see the soldiers and their families benefit from new and upgraded accommodation.
"This plan will provide much greater certainty for forces' families and actually deliver the pledge to bring the Army home from Germany much earlier than first planned."
It is expected that it will cost around £1bn to refurbish the bases and necessary infrastructure.
Some 1,900 new homes will be built for military families and accommodation to house 7,800 single soldiers.
Closing the bases in Germany will save the Ministry of Defence an estimated £240m a year.
what do you think?
stewgwyn
I've never been brilliant at maths, and I might be a bit thick, but here goes. The ministry is to withdraw troops from Germany to attempt to save a reported 240 million per year. But surely, if they are to be retained, the ongoing cost will be similar wherever they serve. And considering an estimated upfront cost of 2 billion for establishment and re-housing, where is the saving ?
David Wragg
You are forgetting the foreign allowances that troops receive, and the foreign exchange costs!
eastonandrea
Trying not to sound too stupid here, but if we withdraw from Germany will that allow Germany to start an independant army of it's own?. I always thought since the wars that they were not allowed an army of thier own incase we end up with WW3? Please advise you brainy people........or will they be left without any armed forces?.
David Wragg
Germany has had its own armed forces since 1955 and is a member of NATO. When Germany was reunited,the armed forces of the East and former West Germany were amalgamated. This is what used to be known as genral knowledge - something you should know.
johnny_1234
what, and you actually think that if we were to have another big war it would be against the germans! what planet are you living on?
David Wragg
This country was so quick to grab the so-called 'peace dividend' when the Cold War ended, but left large numbers of troops in Germany with the heavy cost of overseas allowaces and the foreign exchange costs of employing German civilians and also maintaining barracks and married quarters. One reason was the shortage of adequate barracks and married quarters back here in the UK due to bad planning that closed bases and sold off married quarters. Using RAF Leuchars as an army base is a waste of time, money and opportunity, unless, of course, the MOD has decided that the Scots will vote for independence, which seems very unlikely at present.
Adrian Wagstaff
German soldiers have died along with French, Scandinavian, Dutch, British and other countries fighting for America's War on Terror. Russia is not the enemy it used to be. I was a child on British army bases in Germany and don't see any reason for us to be there.
berni stewart
8:13am on 5/3/2013
The plan to close Leuchars is an absolute disgrace and will cost many millions of pounds due to the fact that no other facility in Scotland is capable of supporting Eurofighter, let alone fullfilling its NATO role, so a facility that already exists and will need to be recreated at Lossiemouth with the usual eyewatering cost overuns. The whole decision making process around the the closure of Leuchars stinks of political expediency. Why the hell would the Army want to be in the backwoods of Fife??? This has been a red herring and a sop to the local business community from the start, we are not so blind.