The United States has begun a dramatic realignment of its military forces abroad, making key changes in the Middle East and Asia and preparing a restructuring in Europe.
US officials say the changes are intended to enable American forces to combat terrorism and rogue states armed with weapons of mass destruction.
Some moves already have been made in Saudi Arabia and South Korea in the aftermath of the Iraq war, and a major reduction in US forces in Germany is expected to follow.
A central element of the restructuring is the creation of stripped-down bases in eastern Europe, Central Asia and elsewhere, and a de-emphasis on big permanent bases in nations such as Germany, defense analysts said.
"We have been reviewing our presence around the world, in every portion of the globe," Defense Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld said this week. He argues US forces still are arranged as if the Soviet Union existed.
The United States announced in April that nearly all its 5,000 troops would be pulled out of Saudi Arabia, from which it had staged air patrols for a decade over southern Iraq. The move increased the importance of US military facilities in other states in the region such as Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
On June 5th, the United States and South Korea announced an agreement to shift US troops from the demilitarized zone, separating South Korea and North Korea, and establish "hub bases" south of Seoul.
Germany, an opponent of the US-led war in Iraq, is expected to see a major decline in US troops, although Ramstein Air Base is expected to be remain unscathed. Germany currently hosts 68,000 US troops, but US officials say many of them could be relocated, primarily to eastern Europe.
