The US army said on Friday it would hand over 13 of its German bases to Berlin, some perhaps as early as next year, as part of the Pentagon's gradual draw-down of 50,000 troops stationed in Europe.

Almost all of the bases are in or near the southern German town of Würzburg, headquarters of the US army's 1st Infantry Division. Earlier this week, the Pentagon announced the 1st ID would move to Fort Riley, Kansas, by the middle of next year.

The other German-based army division, the 1st Armoured, will move to Fort Bliss, Texas, but the timing of its move has not been announced. The division is currently going to Iraq.

The army gave no dates on the two most important facilities to be handed over the 1st ID's headquarters base, Leighton Barracks in Würzburg, and the army's military hospital in the city but the 11 other bases could be handed over as early as October next year.

The army's European command said the preparations to shut the bases would affect 6,100 soldiers and 11,000 family members over the course of the next year. Another 1,000 army employees and 1,000 German workers would also be hit.

The Pentagon's decision to withdraw both German-based divisions was announced last year, but it has decided to send a smaller, more mobile brigade that operates the light-armoured Stryker vehicles to take their place.

In addition to the German reductions, the army has said it will also remove the headquarters of the 2nd Infantry Division and one of its two brigades from South Korea, but the timing of the move has not been announced.

When the moves are complete, the army will no longer have any of its divisions based overseas, and only three Stryker brigades made up of about 3,000 soldiers will be based abroad; in addition to one in Germany and one in South Korea, a third will be based in Italy.