West Germany Plans 20% Cut in Troops
West German Defense Minister Gerhard Stoltenberg said Thursday that the army will be slashed by almost 100,000 troops because of “the new atmosphere of peace in Eastern Europe,” but he warned against removing nuclear weapons from the Continent.
He also said that compulsory military service might be shortened from 18 months to 12.
“We intend to reduce the number of active soldiers from 495,000 to 400,000 (because of) the new atmosphere of peace in Eastern Europe,” Stoltenberg told a Bonn conference on the role of the army. He gave no date for the planned cuts.
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