U.S. to Shut 127 Bases, Cut Back at 23 Others

The United States will close or reduce operations at 150 military facilities worldwide, including 108 sites in West Germany, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said today.

He said that in response to the reduced Soviet threat in Europe and budget problems in Washington the Pentagon would begin shutting operations completely at 127 facilities and reducing operations at 23 others beginning next year.

The move will affect bases in 10 countries and includes ending U.S. operations at three major air bases: Torrejon, near Madrid, and at Lindsey and Hessich Oldendorf in West Germany.

It would be the biggest closing of American bases since the wake of World War II, said Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams. He said the move would begin in fiscal 1991, which begins next month, and would continue for several years.

The Pentagon declined to estimate the number of troops that might be returned to the United States, but the announcement would have a major effect on about 190,000 American troops now stationed in West Germany, where 94 U.S. facilities will be shut and operations reduced at 14.

Other countries affected by the move include Japan, Korea, Italy, Greece, Canada, Britain, Australia and one base in Bermuda.

It was the second such base-closing announcement by Cheney this year in response to warming U.S.-Soviet relations and a major federal budget crunch. In January, he announced the shutdown of 14 overseas facilities and asked Congress to agree to close another 69 in the United States.

Under U.S. law, Cheney can close overseas bases without congressional approval, although lawmakers can wield major influence through budget controls. Domestic base closings are a touchy political and financial issue in Congress.