A Civilian Shift, Too

Service members won't be the only ones affected by the Bush administration's August announcement that tens of thousands of troops would be shifted away from Europe and Asia and back to the United States within the next decade. Hundreds of civilian Defense Department jobs overseas also are likely to

"There probably will be some reductions in the numbers of civilians and contractors on the payroll by virtue of the fact that you will be closing or removing U.S. force structure from up to half, arguably, of the installations where we currently have force structure," a senior Defense Department official told reporters after the announcement.

The administration's plan would involve the largest realignment of forces since the end of the Cold War. President Bush said as many as 70,000 troops would be removed from Europe and Asia. The size of military forces will not change, however, only their location, Defense officials stressed.