U.S. slows closure of German spy station

BERLIN -- The United States has delayed closing an Army spy base in southern Germany next year because of the war against terrorism, U.S. officials said.

The control post in the Bavarian spa town of Bad Aibling provides long-range communications for U.S. forces. Scheduled to close as part of the U.S. troop drawdown in Europe, it will stay open until Sept. 30, 2004, said Lt. Col. Kenneth McClellan, a Defense Department spokesman.

The postponement came because U.S. military transport planes based elsewhere in Germany have been pressed into service for airstrikes and food drops on Afghanistan. The aircraft would otherwise be used to remove the spy base's electronic equipment.

The communications and surveillance equipment at the base southeast of Munich also is likely to play a role in the war on terrorism.

About 1,500 Americans and 140 German civilians work at Bad Aibling. After its closure and the removal of the surveillance equipment, the base will be handed back to Germany.

European critics have long suspected that the listening post set against the snow-peaked Bavarian Alps does more than just spy and track communications for the U.S. military.

In May, a European Parliament report cited Bad Aibling among some 20 stations worldwide believed to play a role in a top-secret global eavesdropping network.