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Foreign Military Relations in Germany
Since the end of World War II, the military forces of six NATO Allies
have been deployed in West Germany--first as occupation troops. Soviet
troops were stationed in East Germany as part of the Warsaw Pact forces.
Although the United States maintained the largest of the foreign NATO
contingents, Britain and France also deployed substantial forces. Belgium,
Canada, and the Netherlands maintained smaller troop units, heavily dependent
on reinforcement to be of value in crises. Events in Europe culminating
in German unification in October 1990, the collapse of the Warsaw Pact,
and the Russian compliance with the terms of the Two-Plus-Four Treaty
to evacuate its troops from the territory of the former East Germany by
late 1994 ended the necessity for NATO to maintain large standing forces
in the European theater. As a result, all NATO countries have made deep
cuts in their forces based in Germany.
Germany grants NATO forces on its territory the use of military installations
and training areas free of charge--airfields, barracks, schools, hospitals,
and logistics facilities. Thousands of housing units have been placed
at the disposal of the stationing countries. The financial value of German
support for Allied bases is balanced in some degree by the impact of Allied
wages paid to German employees, orders by Allied forces placed with German
firms, and spending by soldiers and their families in Germany. By the
1980s and the 1990s, the physical burden of providing bases for large
numbers of Allied troops had become a cause of widespread complaint. Low-level
training flights and large-scale exercises that sometimes result in injuries
and property damage are particular sources of discontent, especially when
carried out at night or on weekends.
By early 1995, about 100,000 United States troops were still stationed
in Germany. United States army forces in Germany include one army headquarters,
one corps headquarters, and two divisions; the air force has two air force
headquarters, one tactical fighter wing, one combat support wing, one
air control wing, and one airlift wing. Armor and other weapons are stockpiled
for units in the United States earmarked as reinforcements for Europe.
British forces in Germany numbered about 38,000 in mid-1995. British
forces in Germany include one corps headquarters (multinational), one
armored division, and an air force group headquarters and two air bases.
Belgium and the Netherlands maintain about 10,000 and 3,000 troops, respectively.
France maintained about 15,000 troops in Germany as of mid-1995, reduced
from 44,000 in 1989. Most of these troops are part of the Eurocorps. The
position of France among NATO countries maintaining forces in Germany
is unique. French units are not committed to NATO, and the participation
of France in the event of conflict is subject to a decision by the French
president. Nevertheless, French staff and troops cooperate in certain
NATO exercises and maneuvers.
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