German politicians defended bases on economic rather than security grounds

Evidence

The most illuminating perspective on the economic impact of bases comes from studies of what happens when bases close. In communities threatened with base closures, locals often fear dire consequences. Andy Hoehn, one of the senior U.S. officials sent to Germany to discuss a “very significant drawdown” of forces as part of the Bush administration’s global base realignment, recalls local politicians in Rheinland-Pfalz, Bavaria, and other states with large base concentrations pleading that their areas be spared the cuts. Hoehn was somewhat surprised to note “their appeals to us were really … of culture and economy, and not of security. They were not there to make an argument that there were security reasons for a large number of troops to remain in Germany in 2004.” Instead, the politicians simply insisted that “our local economies depend upon the presence of these troops.” — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 923

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the closing-base economic-fear dynamics that Vine analyzes elsewhere in the book as evidence against base hype.