Now before you jump to the conclusion that I have suddenly become some sort of anti-war protester, let me explain. I'm talking about EUCOM - the U.S. European Command. We have continued to station thousands of troops in Germany since World War II. Until the demise of the Soviet Union, this was critical because there was a real danger that Russian tank divisions would come rolling through the Fulda Gap. Today though that scenario is highly unlikely. So why do we still have approximately 50,000 troops in Germany? In our current economic situation and considering Germany's reluctance to support the NATO effort in Libya, I assert the money we spend keeping troops in Europe could be better spent elsewhere - like in our own country.
An Internet search reveals that the annual budget for EUCOM is about $3 billion and if the military is a true representation of the American population as a whole, then using the 2008 average annual salary of $54, 124 means the 50,000 military personnel cost another $2.7 billion a year in pay. So we pump about $6 billion a year into the German economy. Why? We have an expeditionary military force which means it is intended to be deployed to fight abroad, not be permanently stationed there. The reality today, especially the political reality, is that any benefit gained by being closer to some potential hotspot is more than countered by the time it takes to make a political decision, build a coalition, or get a UN resolution passed. Once the political challenges have been met, our Navy and Marine Corps (or depending on the situation our Army airborne troops) can be on scene anywhere in the world in two weeks securing ports, landing zones or airfields for follow-on forces. Therefore, troops in Europe are unnecessary.
Instead, let's station the troops we bring back along our border with Mexico or at a minimum, have them perform their field training there. After all, in the last 30 years, our troops have been overwhelming deployed to places that resemble our desert southwest rather than the forests and fields of Germany. Moreover, we have a serious illegal immigration and drug trafficking problem that is concentrated along the Mexican border that requires additional manpower to resolve. 50,000 troops would certainly be very useful in assisting our beleaguered Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Drug Enforcement Agency perform their duties. This is especially true given the fact that the Mexican Drug Cartels are becoming more heavily armed and resemble a military force rather than a criminal organization.
Now before you throw posse comitatus in my face, let me say that this proposal would not violate the law prohibiting the military from performing law enforcement duties as long as the troops are accompanied by law enforcement personnel who would do any actual detaining or arresting if required. However, if confronted by narco-terrorists equipped with military-style weaponry, our personnel would finally have the firepower to respond effectively.
Redeploying our military personnel from Germany to the border areas of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas makes sense from an economic, political, military and homeland security perspective. For once, let's make a decision that would solve several of our problems at once in a straight forward, common sense way.
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