After 75 Years The Last British Base In Germany Has Closed

British Army re-basing programme from Germany🇩🇪completed. Final farewell from Catterick Barracks #AufWiedersehen pic.twitter.com/iTxTHeYaFM

— Britische Armee (@APO2Ge) February 21, 2020

The Guardian: British army hands back last headquarters in Germany

Catterick Barracks Bielefeld is closing with the withdrawal of 20,000 army personnel

The British army has relinquished control of its last remaining military headquarters in Germany following 75 years in the country, ahead of the final withdrawal of serving personnel.

Following the second world war, the UK was among a number of allied nations to retain a military presence in Germany but it halved the amount of soldiers after the fall of the iron curtain.

About 20,000 British service personnel have been steadily withdrawn since 2010 during “Operation Owl” under cost-cutting measures announced by former prime minister David Cameron.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the UK would continue to have a military presence in Germany beyond 2020 once the withdrawal of British army units to the UK has been completed.

However, around 185 British army personnel and 60 MoD civilians are set to remain.

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Update #1: After 75 years in Germany, the British army has pulled out of its last base there (Business Insider/SOFREP)
Update #2: British Military Base Handed Back To Germany (Forces.net)

WNU Editor: A definite end to an era.

Britain GCHQ 'Threatens To Stop Sharing Intelligence' With Germany's BND Spy Agency

Deutsche Welle: Report: Britain's GCHQ threatens to end work with Germany's BND spy agency

The German magazine Focus says Britain has threatened to cease cooperation with Germany's BND intelligence service. The BND in turn has been accused by a Berlin inquiry panel of withholding documents.

More News On Britain's GCHQ 'Threatening To Stop Sharing Intelligence' With Germany's BND Spy Agency

British intelligence 'threatens to stop sharing information with Germany if it continues to make secret GCHQ documents public' -- Daily Mail
British Spies Threaten to End Cooperation With Germany Over NSA Probe -- Sputnik
Britain 'threatens to stop sharing intelligence' with Germany -- The Telegraph
British spies tell German MPs to back off -- The Local

Germany Asks Britain To Explain Spying Reports

FILE - An aerial view over the British embassy (c), Hotel Adlon (lower l), the Academy of Arts and the U.S. Embassy (top), between the Holocaust memorial (top L) and the public square Pariser Platz, with the Brandenburg Gate (top r) toward the Tiergarten. VOA

Germany Calls In British Ambassador Over Spying Reports -- Deutsche Welle

The British Ambassador to Germany has been called in by the foreign ministry over spying reports. The Independent newspaper says that Britain is operating a spy post near Germany's parliament and chancellery.

The paper said Tuesday that aerial photographs and documents from the United States' National Security Agency (NSA) indicate that Britain is operating a network of "electronic spy posts" just meters from the Bundestag and chancellor's office in the German capital, Berlin.

The Independent said the documents had been leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

According to the paper, hi-tech equipment allegedly housed on the roof of the British embassy could be being used to monitor communications within the German parliament and government.

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More News On Reports That The U.K. Spied On Germany

Germany asks Britain to respond to report it operated Berlin spy station -- Washington Post/AP
Germany asks British ambassador to explain spying report -- Reuters
Germany asks Britain for explanation of spying report -- Global Post/AFP
Germany summons UK ambassador over spying report -- CNN
Germany calls in British ambassador over spy claims -- BBC
Germany calls in UK ambassador over spy claims -- The Guardian
UK ‘spied on Angela Merkel’ from Berlin rooftop -- France 24
Germany Asks Britain to Respond to Spy Report -- Voice of America
Germany Calls In U.K. Ambassador Over Embassy Spying Allegations -- Bloomberg Businessweek
British ambassador hauled in by German government over 'secret listening post' on the roof of the Berlin embassy -- Daily Mail
Britain allegedly spied on Merkel a mere stone’s throw from her desk -- RT

Last British Troops To Withdraw From Germany 65 Years After Defeating Hitler

Ready to move: A convoy of Challenger tanks on exercise in the British army training ground near the German town of Belsen in 2003. All British forces will be withdrawn from the country by 2020, it will be announced today

Fall Back! British Remaining 20,000 Troops Begin Withdrawal From Germany 65 Years After Defeating Hitler -- Daily Mail

* Force was left in place to deter Soviet advance from the East
* Hundreds to return home in January as part of defence review
* Half of remaining 20,000-strong force to leave by 2015, the rest by 2020 - 15 years earlier than originally planned
All 20,000 British troops will be withdrawn from Germany by 2020, bringing to an end a continuous presence since 1945, it will be announced today.

Under the Strategic Defence and Security Review, hundreds of military personnel will return home in January.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed that an announcement will be made about the pull-out of UK forces, who have had a presence on the Rhine since the end of the Second World War.

Read more ....

More News On The Final Withdrawal Of British Troops From Germany

UK troops to withdraw from Germany by end of decade under MoD plans -- The Guardian
British Army to Leave Germany -- Wall Street JournaL
Army troop relocations announced by Ministry of Defence -- BBC
UK troops returning from Germany -- Pres Association
British troops to start pullout in January -- The Local