US scales back military bases across Europe in cost-cutting measure

The US military said it will close a major air base in Britain and withdraw from 14 other installations across Europe as part of a reorganization of forces to save money.

The “consolidation” will save the US government about US$500 million a year and not diminish American military power, Pentagon officials said Thursday, but the move prompted disappointment in Britain and anger in Portugal over the potential economic effect of the scaled-back presence.

The closure of bases and various outposts over the next several years will likely reduce the current contingent of 67,000 American forces in Europe by only about 1,200 troops, a US defence official said.

Under the plan, US operations at RAF Mildenhall in Britain will end and 500 troops and civilians will be withdrawn from Portugal’s Lajes Field in the Azores. Commanders concluded the Lajes air base was largely a relic from another era when aircraft on transatlantic flights needed to refuel or make emergency landings on their way to the European continent.

The government of Portugal expressed strong dissatisfaction over the “unilateral decision,” accusing Washington of failing to take into account reservations conveyed in discussions in recent years.

Lisbon was “particularly concerned about the consequences of this decision on the economic and social situation on the island of Terceira,” while the regional government of the Azores called it an “enormous slap in the face to the Portugese state.”