The planned withdrawal of US troops from a military base in Germany will devastate the economy of Vilseck, a town in Bavaria near which it is located, Mayor Torsten Grödler said.
The mayor told the American newspaper Stars and Stripes that the presence of US troops brings in an estimated $800 million a year in revenue. The region will not lose this income entirely thanks to other units stationed in Bavaria, but the withdrawal will still be a “blow”, Grödler noted. He lamented that it would not only hurt the local economy but would also “affect the very identity of the town”.
The US military provides security and stimulates economic development in northern Bavaria, where Vilseck is located. The town is home to approximately 4,500 military personnel and their families out of a local population of 6,500.
The Bild newspaper earlier reported that the US was preparing to withdraw its first troops from Germany. This is a mechanized brigade based at a base near the town of Vilseck and equipped with Stryker armored vehicles. Approximately 26,000 US soldiers are stationed in Vilseck and nearby Grafenwöhr, and a total of nearly 40,000 US soldiers are stationed in Germany.