US Army announces base closures in Baden-Württemberg

“Due to the extensive scope and long-range nature of these actions, planning and execution will be ongoing for several years,” a statement said.

The unit inactivations, relocations and returns to the US will mainly affect facilities in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg.

The three-part “drawdown” within the communities will ultimately mean a reduction of 7,378 people, among them 1,446 Soldiers, 1,505 US government civilians and 4,427 family members. There will also be a decrease of 1,045 local positions for Germans.

Meanwhile another 1,119 military, 147 US civilians and almost 1,900 family members will be relocated within the country, the statement said.

The US Army will have already reduced the soldier population in the Mannheim area by 50 percent as part of their first phase of consolidation this summer. By mid-2012, all soldiers will have left the area.

Medical, school, housing and recreational facilities will remain open according to individual base needs as staff begin to depart, the statement added.