Muted response to US troops plan

About 180,000 troops are based in Europe and Asia

US allies have broadly welcomed President George W Bush's announcement of plans for a major shake-up of American forces around the world.

Up to 70,000 troops currently in Europe and Asia are to be redeployed.

Japan and Australia said the move would improve global security and South Korea said it was not surprised but there were concerns voiced in Germany.

The US has almost 100,000 soldiers stationed in Western Europe and about 80,000 in the Far East.

Pentagon officials say about half of the hundreds of US installations in Europe will be cut or closed.

We'll ensure that our forces are well-prepared and well-positioned to meet the challenges of the future President Bush Map of US troops abroad Analysis: No retreat Your views

Two heavy army divisions will be withdrawn from Germany, which is host to the biggest US overseas contingent outside Iraq.

Some of the troops will be moved to posts in Eastern Europe while others will be based in the US, available for deployments overseas.

Japan and South Korea will also see large reductions in the numbers of American troops on their territory.

The Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement: "Japan welcomes the review of the US military framework that will better suit the global security environment and further contribute to peace and stability."

Washington had already disclosed plans to cut a third of its forces in South Korea.

As a result, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon told reporters: "I don't think there will be big changes for us."

Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill said: "We see this initiative as a positive development for both regional and global security.

"It will improve the US capability to contribute to international efforts to defeat global threats such as terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and enable the US to engage more effectively in regional contingencies."

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said he was not concerned about the planned increase in the US presence on the territory of former Soviet allies such as Poland and Romania, and the ex-Soviet republic of Uzbekistan in central Asia.

"I don't see anything alarming in these plans," he told reporters.

A spokesman for the southern German city of Wuerzburg, home to the US Army's 1st Infantry Division, said thousands of locals jobs depended on US forces.

"Base closures would hit us very hard," he told the Associated Press news agency.

'Outdated'

Mr Bush told a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, that the attacks of 11 September 2001 had brought with them a new agenda.

"The world has changed a great deal and our posture must change with it," Mr Bush said.

BBC Pentagon correspondent Nick Childs says the US military sees many of the largely fixed US forces and bases in places like Germany and South Korea as outdated.

He also says US deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan will not be immediately affected by this proposal - but its aim is clearly to reduce the strains on the military in future operations.

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Iraq and the Gulf - currently 211,028 troops

Germany - Currently 75,603 troops

South Korea - Currently 33,400 troops

Japan - Currently 40,045 troops

Afghanistan - Currently 17,900 troops

Italy - Currently 13,354 troops

UK - Currently 11,801 troops

Qatar - Currently 3,432

Bosnia-Hercegovina - Currently 2,931 troops

Iceland - Currently 1,754 troops

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