American troops misdeployed, Mandel tells Vindicator today

YOUNGSTOWN

American “troops are misdeployed” by being stationed at large bases in countries such as Germany, Italy and Japan, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate and a Marine veteran, says.

“We’re not fighting the Nazis anymore, and we’re not fighting the Japanese anymore,” Mandel, who had two tours in Iraq during his eight years in the Marines, told The Vindicator on Friday.

The nation’s “main enemy today is radical Islam, and in my mind, we need to draw down a lot of the bases in Europe and Asia in order to save money here in the United States to fund important programs like Social Security and Medicare, and pay down the debt,” he said.

Some bases should be shut down after a review of U.S. military facilities in those three countries is done, he said.

Most soldiers in those countries would return to the United States to serve here, Mandel said

He also said the United States needs to increase its presence in the Middle East.

“The place that makes the most sense to me is Kuwait because they’re an ally,” he said.

When asked about Israel, Mandel said he hadn’t thought of that country.

Read more of his remarks and response from the Brown campaign in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.