US to Shut Down 15 Military Bases in Europe

The US is going to shut down 15 military bases and facilities in European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands.

According to the Pentagon, the move will save around 500 million dollars a year, and comes as the US military seeks to shift its attention towards Asia, BBC and the Russian news agency Sputnik reports.

The US currently has more than 60.000 troops stationed in Europe, mostly in Germany, Italy and Britain.

The troop number will remain the same, as the US ramps up rotations within Europe for training. Many of the closures would affect smaller bases that were remnants of the Cold War.

The US has named RAF Lakenheath to be the first permanent European base for the F-35 fighter aircraft.

According to the US Defense departement the move will be "partially offset by the addition of about 1.200 personnel that will support the F-35s being stationed in RAF Lakenheath."