Army plans global equipment realignment

• Tweet

WASHINGTON, July 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army is planning a reshuffling of combat equipment around the globe to better position itself for current and future threats, officials said.

Some of the Army's mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, many of which are currently stored in Southwest Asia and the Persian Gulf region, will be moved to the Korean Peninsula and Italy for contingency operations in East Asia and Africa, The New York Times reported Friday.

Other plans call for some MRAPs stored in Europe to be returned stateside, though other infantry and related equipment would stay put, the Times said.

Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, has said the plans were developed to "look for innovative approaches to align our forces to the global combatant commands and increase responsiveness and mobility," Peter B. Bechtel, the Army's deputy director for plans and policy, told the newspaper.