WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. military will spend $100 million on private security to replace German soldiers guarding American bases in Europe, according to budget documents.
The money is contained in the $82 billion supplemental appropriation request for 2005 the White House submitted to Congress Monday.
In January 2003, Germany offered about 2,500 troops to protect about 50 American installations around Europe as U.S. soldiers were pulled off to train and deploy in advance of the war in Iraq. Security had been provided by a mix of soldiers and private security forces.
But last fall, the German government announced it would withdraw the troops, a cost-cutting measure that also came in the wake of the Pentagon announcement that some 70,000 U.S. troops would be withdrawn from Germany.
