Britain abandons plan to withdraw all troops from Germany by 2020
(Baonghean.vn) - British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson has just ordered hundreds of soldiers to remain in Germany, despite previous plans to withdraw all troops from Germany, according to the country's media.
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| British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson has ordered hundreds of troops to remain in Germany. Photo: Reuters |
Britain's original plan called for all troops to be withdrawn by 2020, but Williamson's directive stipulates that 200 servicemen and their "family" members will remain in Germany beyond that date, The Sunday Times reported.
Soldiers from the engineer regiment will be among those staying, the agency said. Britain will also keep the Sennelager base in northwestern Germany, where tank drills and large-scale exercises are planned, and London also plans to maintain armoured vehicle facilities in the city of Monchengladbach.
A source from the British Ministry of Defense explained Williamson's directive as a move to demonstrate to Russia that the UK will continue to support Europe even in the post-Brexit era. The UK left the European Union in June 2016, with the deadline for Brexit negotiations to be completed by March 2019.