ARMY KASERNE BULLETIN BOARD

  101 Responses to “ARMY KASERNE BULLETIN BOARD”

1. 

   Ursula says:

   May 21, 2012 at 6:23 am

   NATO gives OK to European missile shield
   Published: 21 May 12 08:35 CET
   NATO leaders on Sunday gave the go-ahead for the new European missile shield, provoking anger in Russia. The US air base in Ramstein, western Germany, will host part of the system.
   The decision was made by 28 of the world’s most powerful leaders at the NATO summit in Chicago. It should be up and running before 2020 and protect Europe from missiles fired up to 3,000 kilometres away – roughly where Iran is.
   Initially a US warship carrying missiles will be installed near Turkey in the Mediterranean, followed by an early-warning radar system at the US air base in Ramstein. Further bases are planned for Spain, Romania and Poland.
   “Missile defence is indispensable. We are faced with real missile threats,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on the eve of the summit.
   “Against a real threat we need a real defence,” he said, adding that 30 states are known to either have or seek ballistic missile technology.
   The decision was not greeted warmly by Russia though, as Moscow fears the system could neutralise its own nuclear shield. The country’s government quickly called for joint control over the system and for NATO to sign a legally-binding guarantee that it is not aimed at Russia.
   But NATO rejected both demands, insisting on keeping two separate systems and refusing to sign a legally-binding document.
   “This is not a project targeted against Russia, but a project we want to push forward with Russia in the interest of Europe’s security,” said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. “And therefore the door for Russia will stay open.”

   The United States has tested missile defence technology for years but analysts have questioned whether the shield is a full-proof defence against incoming rockets from rogue states.
   AFP/DPA/The Local/jcw

   Reply
2. 

   Jose E. Pena says:

   May 10, 2012 at 9:42 am

   Americans leaving Germany. How can I ever forget it. If it had not been for vietnam war back then I might have made the army a carrier. jepena, 533rdmp det. Zweibrucken, germany.

   Reply
3. 

   Leon Siefken says:

   May 9, 2012 at 8:52 am

   I can find nothing about the Dachau Barracks on any of these posting. Is there any one who was there in 1965/66?

   Reply
   • 

     Mark says:

     May 14, 2012 at 8:37 am

     I visited the concentration camp in Dachau in 1978. A very sobering day etched in my memory for ever. If you Google “Dachau” you can find many/most of the photos displayed at the museum.
4. 

   Ursula says:

   April 26, 2012 at 6:17 am

   Army planning drawdown in Europe
   March 26, 2012
   By Gary Sheftick
   WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 26, 2012) — As part of the Army’s restructuring in Europe, V Corps will not return to Germany when its deployment to Afghanistan ends next year, the Army’s chief of staff said.
   The move is part of an overall downsizing in Europe which will include two brigade combat teams leaving and dozens of installations closing over the next few years.
   V CORPS LEAVING
   V Corps headquarters, now located in Wiesbaden, Germany, is expected to deploy to Afghanistan in June with most of its 700 Soldiers. Its commander, Lt. Gen. James L. Terry, will oversee coalition operations nationwide as commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command.
   Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno was asked March 21 at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee, defense subcommittee, if V Corps would return to the United States after its deployment to Afghanistan. He answered “the plan is to eliminate it.”
   Army officials said the V Corps flag will be returned to Fort Bragg, N.C., and the unit’s Soldiers will return to Germany briefly to help family members move to new duty assignments. The Soldiers will be reassigned via normal Army processes, officials said. They added the Army is currently conducting an assessment of its operational headquarters which will determine the final disposition of V Corps.
   V Corps has been headquartered in Germany since 1951 and its original mission there was to defend the Fulda Gap during the Cold War.
   170th IBCT INACTIVATING
   Soldiers with the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team have begun preparing for inactivation following last month’s announcement that the brigade would be one of two in the drawdown from Europe.
   The 170th IBCT returned from Afghanistan last month to its headquarters in Baumholder, Germany. A formal deactivation ceremony for the brigade is scheduled for October.
   Many of the brigade’s roughly 4,000 Soldiers and their families will be reassigned in the United States and elsewhere, while some will relocate to other units across U.S. Army Europe, officials there said.
   An announcement was also made that the 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade, based in Grafenwoehr, Germany, will leave Europe in October 2013. The 172nd is also returning from Afghanistan this spring.
   The equivalent of two brigades are slated to stay in Europe past 2013, officials said. The 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, Germany, will currently stay along with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy.
   ROTATIONS vs. FORWARD DEPLOYMENT
   Secretary of the Army John McHugh told lawmakers at the hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee, defense subcommittee, that the Army has drawn down from about 400 sites in Europe four years ago and will continue until only about 90 sites remain. He said 50 of those would be Army and 40 will be joint installations.
   Odierno said the Army will go from a force that is forward-deployed to one that will rotate from the United States to hot spots. He said forces in the United States would be regionally aligned for contingencies and stocks would be pre-positioned.
   With the smaller force in Europe, Odierno said the Army will compensate by conducting even more partnership engagements with NATO allies.

   Reply
5. 

   ursula says:

   April 2, 2012 at 4:54 am

   @ osce archie
   Sorry, Hanau closed down in 2007.

   Fliegerhorst Airfield Kaserne, Hanau » ARMY KASERNE LOGS
   armykaserne.com/…/fliegerhorst-airfield-kaserne.
   Ground was broken for the construction of the Langendiebach Airfield, or Fliegerhorst Langendiebach as it was then known, in the summer of 1936, after a Junkers JU-52 on maneuvers made an emergency landing in the meadows behind Reusserhof. Although it was originally intended that there should be three phases of construction, only the first phase of construction was completed, due to the outbreak of WW II. The official opening of the Kaserne on 19 March 1939 was marked by a large celebration, involving a parade from the center of Erlensee to the front gate, and a Volksfest of 25,000 German civilians, who were treated to an air show.

   At first, Fliegerhorst was occupied by the 1st Group, 55th Combat Squadron, equipped with HE-111 P twin-engine bombers. These left Langendiebach on 31 August 39 to participate in the invasion of Poland. After a visit by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring to Fliegerhorst on 3 March 1940, Fliegerhorst became the site of a glider school, the graduates of which went on to participate in, among other operations, the invasion of the Soviet Union. The aircraft used to tow the gliders were the Czech Aviojäger, HE 45, HE 46, and the glider itself was the DFS 230. The wartime glider training conducted at Fliegerhorst included: formation flying, precision approaches and precision landings from altitudes of 1000 to 2000 meters. In addition to gliders, there were various experimental aviation units on Fliegerhorst, including a high-altitude fighter squadron. From the middle of 1944 until the Americans succeeded in crossing the Rhine, two successive groups of Junkers JU-88 Nightfighters, the 1st then the 3rd, were stationed on Fliegerhorst. Once the Americans had crossed the Rhine, these elements of the 4th Nightfighter Squadron were withdrawn to North Eastern Germany.

   The three most destructive bombing attacks on Fliegerhorst Kaserne occurred on 9 September 44, 10 November 44 and 24 December 44. The bombing raid carried out on 10 November 44 involved 229 B-24 Liberators, which dropped a total of 431.5 tons of bombs. This bombing was conducted in the light of recent intelligence, which revealed that the Fliegerhorst runway had recently been extended by some 300 meters to accommodate three ME-262 jet fighters.

   In order to divert allied attacks away from Fliegerhorst, the Germans emplaced decoy airfields, consisting of wooden mock-ups of aircraft and of airfield facilities, in the vicinity of Mittelbuchen, Kilianstädten and Rossdorf. These succeeded in leading low-flying aircraft astray on many occasions, but could not prevent the comprehensive destruction inflicted upon Fliegerhorst by war’s end. The buildings and facilities of the Kaserne were assessed as 20% destroyed, and the severely pockmarked runway as totally unserviceable. Furthermore, the woods were bombed from Bärensee to Rückingen, in order to eliminate the camouflaged aircraft in parking spots concealed by woods. Present-day B 40, which could be used as an auxiliary runway, was also bombed.

   Fliegerhorst’s facilities and airfield were totally unserviceable when the Americans occupied this Kaserne in 1945. However, after the necessary repairs had been completed, the US Army used Fliegerhorst from 1947 to 1952 in a limited capacity for courier flights. Otherwise, the facilities and buildings were used as storage and administrative sites.

   In 1952, several construction projects were undertaken to give the airfield back its character as a military facility. It was during this period that the large ammunition bunkers west of the airfield were built. From 1957 to 1960, Hangars 1302, 1303 and 1304, and the control tower were converted and refitted to accommodate helicopter aviation.

   Due to the troop reductions pursuant to the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty and the Treaty of Vienna, many battalions have been removed from Fliegerhorst since 1991. Fliegerhorst stood as one of the most important US Army Aviation Airfields in Europe until it was shut down in 2006 and returned to German control.

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6. 

   ursula says:

   April 2, 2012 at 3:13 am

   @ osce archie

   Sorry, Hanau closed in 07. For more info. just google or:

   Fliegerhorst Kaserne – Topic
   forums.military.com/eve/…/f/…/5890038531001

   Reply
7. 

   Ursula says:

   February 21, 2012 at 4:29 am

   GRAFENWOEHR, Germany | Fri Jan 27, 2012 10:48am EST
   (Reuters) – Walter Brunner, a lively 82-year old whose blue baseball cap matches the color of his eyes, leans across a red leather booth at the American-style diner in this southern German town and tries to make light of the looming pullout of U.S. troops.
   “We Germans fought for the Russians to go, now we are fighting for the Americans to stay,” jokes Brunner, chairman of the German-American contact club in Grafenwoehr, whose lifeblood is its U.S. military base.
   He watched a young Elvis Presley arrive here for training in 1958 and still goes tenpin bowling with his American friends every Monday night.
   News that the 172nd infantry brigade, with its 3,500 soldiers and 8,000 family members, is being pulled from Grafenwoehr to return to the United States has hit this town hard.
   After 67 years of living together, locals in Bavaria say the Americans are not just their employers and customers, but also close friends.
   The Pentagon on Thursday announced sweeping defense cuts of $487 billion over the next decade, as it seeks to create a smaller, more agile force with a strategic focus on the Asia-Pacific region and Middle East. The demands of the Cold War, where Russians and Americans faced off across the walls, fences and barbed wire of the Iron Curtain, have receded into history.
   Under the new strategy, two combat brigades, one in Grafenwoehr, the other in Baumholder near the French border, will leave Germany, reducing the size of the U.S. army in Europe by almost 10,000 from its present number of 41,000.
   That would leave just two brigades remaining in Europe — one in Vilseck in Germany, close to Grafenwoehr, the other in Vicenza in Italy. The military plans to rotate U.S. based units into Grafenwoehr and Baumholder for training, keeping the sites. Grafenwoehr will also continue its key role training allied troops.
   The economic impact however will be severe.
   Local businesses say up to 90 percent of their trade comes from Americans. The town of Grafenwoehr receives 2.8 million euros in state subsidies every year largely due to the U.S. presence. Some 2,900 Germans are employed directly or indirectly by the military.
   According to U.S. army data American purchasing power in and around Grafenwoehr, a quaint town of 7,000 not including the U.S. base, is around 35 million Euros. Another 30 million Euros is spent per year on rent by American families.
   “Grafenwoehr lives from the Americans and will die without them. It’s as simple as that,” said 35-year-old Helmut Dostler, whose family have run Grafenwoehr’s Hotel Zur Post for four generations.
   “Losing troops would be fatal for the area. They are the biggest employer. Even if troops come here for training for a few months we will barely see them in the town.”
   At Spahn, a photo studio outside the gates of the base where framed photographs of U.S. servicemen and women and their families line the walls the concern is the same.
   “Only a few years ago new houses and facilities were built for soldiers. We’d expected the area to boom. Now the opposite is happening,” said 42-year-old Alexander Kneidl.
   Youngsters here grow up as comfortable with American culture as their own, German women marry American soldiers and frequently Americans opt to leave the military and stay in this picturesque region of gentle hills and dense forests just 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Czech border.
   Today, the barbed wire is gone and there remains a simple crossing point from one European Union member state to another. It is because of this transformation that the function of the American military in Germany has had to change.
   The Russians left eastern Germany with the reunification of the country two decades ago. No longer needed to counter or deter a Soviet attack, American bases in Germany are today home to units who serve with international partners in Afghanistan and beyond.
   Grafenwoehr also provides state of the art training for NATO partners and dozens of other allies, preparing them to work together in overseas conflicts.
   “The advantage in Germany is that you are in an allied state with good infrastructure and a comfortable climate. But logistically Europe is not so important anymore,” said Henning Riecke, an expert on transatlantic relations at the German Council on Foreign Relations.
   “Troops in Germany just don’t have the same meaning as during the Cold War when they were a way for the U.S. to show they were serious as an ally and show solidarity … Now the Americans must do more for their own security, and alter their footprint.”
   WORLD WARS
   Grafenwoehr has a 100 year history as a military and training site base but the troops, threats, and alliances have changed dramatically over the past century.
   The Bavarian III Corps, part of the Imperial German Army, first commandeered the site and trained here for World War One after clearing eight villages.
   A massive expansion followed under Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, taking the site to its current size of 22,600 hectares and displacing 3,500 people from 58 villages. The Fuehrer came to visit Nazi troops here in 1938. Six years later Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini also visited the base.
   The Americans took over the site in the then U.S. occupation zone in 1946 and have remained ever since. Initially viewed with suspicion by the vanquished Germans, they quickly became allies for Germans fearing the influence of Soviet occupiers across the border in Czechoslovakia or East Germany.
   The relationship of allies was cemented once West Germany joined NATO in 1955.
   As the Cold War escalated the United States had more than a quarter of a million troops in Europe. German civilians complained about the noise of low-flying aircraft, drunken troops or damage to the environment.
   The 1960s saw demonstrations across West Germany against the Vietnam war and the 1980s brought large protests outside some U.S. bases against plans to deploy new medium-range nuclear missiles. U.S. forces have always been viewed by some, especially on the political left, with hostility, as occupiers.
   “In the 1970s we had more U.S. soldiers in Germany than there were in the entire French army. The size of the deployment was grandiose,” said Jack Clarke, a professor of defense planning at the Marshall Center in Germany.
   The number of U.S. troops on German soil has been sharply curtailed since then, but their continued presence is a constant reminder here of the close post-war alliance.
   “I think at times the Europeans need reminding of this alliance,” said Riecke, referring to recent conflicts where the United States has felt let down at the lack of support from its foreign partners.
   German opposition to President George W. Bush’s war in Iraq, which involved U.S. troops based in Germany, caused particular strain. Most recently Germany surprised its allies by refusing to back a U.N. resolution authorizing military action in Libya.
   Unlike British forces which plan to leave Germany entirely by 2020 there is no talk of a complete U.S. pull-out from the country, in part to show newer NATO partners to the east that Washington remains committed to the alliance.
   “Most Europeans outside the political and security elite view the US presence over here today as outdated and not particularly useful, and serving to support U.S. foreign and security objectives,” Clarke said.
   “But the further east you go – the Baltics, Bulgaria, Poland, there the presence of U.S. troops in Europe somehow helps to reassure people that NATO really works.”
   There is wide political consensus in Germany in support of the troops staying, not least for their economic importance. Only the pacifist Left Party has challenged the 50 million Euros a year Germany contributes towards the cost of U.S. bases, and called for all U.S. troops to leave.
   EUROPEAN CHARMS
   American soldiers past and present and of all ranks express huge enthusiasm for postings in Germany.
   “Part of the popularity comes from where the Americans were, we were always in the southern part of Germany in Bavaria, many equate Bavaria with Germany,” Clarke said. “I think the British experience in northern Germany was somewhat different.”
   Brunner said he believed the relationship had worked so well because both Bavarians and Americans are outgoing.
   Americans living on Grafenwoehr base, which has a cluster of German timbered houses at its heart, eat typical American food, shop at special stores where they pay in dollars, but can also enjoy Europe’s charms as soon as they leave the compound.
   “I love being in Europe, it is a great experience there are so many cultural opportunities,” said 26-year-old William Webster from Savannah, Georgia, who lives here with his wife and 15-month daughter, and serves with the Second Cavalry Regiment.
   “I was ecstatic when I found out we’d be moving to Europe. I’d always wanted to travel. I love the history here, the castles,” said 29-year-old Honey Shewbert, from Pensacola, Florida, who works with the American Forces Network broadcast service.
   “They offer a little of the United States on base. You find things you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere in Europe.”
   (Reporting by Alexandra Hudson; Editing by Noah Barkin)

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8. 

   Ursula says:

   February 17, 2012 at 3:32 am

   US to withdraw more than 11,000 troops17 Feb 12 08:02 CET
   The United States vowed Thursday to retain close military ties to its European allies after unveiling plans to withdraw more than 11,000 troops from Germany and Italy as part of a strategic shift to Asia.
   “No one should equate lower numbers of US troops permanently stationed in Europe with declining engagement with our European partners,” Pentagon press secretary George Little told reporters.

   The details of the troop reduction, which include two Army brigades and two air squadrons, were announced as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta hosted his German counterpart, Thomas de Maiziere, for talks at the Pentagon.

   Both men endorsed the drawdown at a joint press conference, with Panetta promising the move would not alter Washington’s commitment to the NATO alliance.

   The Pentagon chief said over 40,000 American troops would remain in Germany and that “the new US defense strategy reaffirms the lasting strategic importance of the trans-Atlantic partnership with NATO allies such as Germany.”

   He added that de Maiziere “understands the necessity of the shifts we are making as we work to implement our new defense strategy while meeting our fiscal responsibilities.”

   De Maiziere said Germany would still serve a crucial role for US forces and said he could not complain about the Pentagon’s downsizing as his own government was carrying out a similar approach for German forces.

   “I cannot criticize the United States of America for doing something that we ourselves do,” he said.

   He added that the withdrawal of the American unit would have a “moderate” effect on the local economy.

   Starting later this year, the US military will start pulling out two US Army brigades, two Air Force squadrons as well as about 2,500 support troops, officials said.

   The two Army heavy infantry brigades and one of the Air Force squadrons, which flies A-10 “tank killer” aircraft, are currently based in Germany while the second air unit is located in Aviano, Italy.

   The move will reduce the total number of American forces in Europe to roughly 70,000 from the current level of about 81,000, officials said.

   Despite the drawdown, the Pentagon insisted the US military’s close partnership with NATO allies would continue and that units in the United States would rotate to European bases to pursue joint training and exercises.

   The Army chose to cut the two heavy brigades while leaving in place two other brigades, one airborne and one employing Stryker vehicles, which represent a more agile formation in keeping with a new US strategy that sees large, tank-heavy ground wars as unlikely.

   The downsizing also will include closing down the Army’s 5th Corps headquarters in Wiesbaden, officials said.

   The US military footprint in Europe has drastically declined since the Cold War, when more than 270,000 troops were stationed on the continent at one point.

   The two Army brigades due to leave, the 170th heavy brigade in Baumholder and the 172nd heavy brigade in Grafenwöhr, have 3,850 soldiers each and both have been on tours in Afghanistan, with troops from the 172nd still on the ground in Paktika province.

   Soldiers and families from the 170th brigade will begin moving out this summer while troops from the 172nd will start departing Germany in mid-2013, according to a fact sheet from the Pentagon.

   The two aviation units due to depart are the 81st Fighter Squadron in Spangdahlem, with 525 personnel, and the 603rd Air Control squadron, with 336 airmen.

   AFP/mry

   Reply
9. 

   kassy easley says:

   February 16, 2012 at 11:00 pm

   32nd signal Mc Nair kaserne is having a reunion in Las Vegas. We would love to have our friends from Michael barracks to join us…Hell we shared living areas. We dont care when you were there. I was at Mc Nair from 1977 to 1980,. Barmaid at the NCO club at night. Call Rhonda Gunn @ 630-670-7946. She will give you all the information for the reunion in Vegas in Sept 2012.

   Reply
10. 

    Ursula says:

    February 15, 2012 at 7:16 am

    Canada wants military base in Germany

    Published: 15 Feb 12 07:55 CET
    Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120215-40743.html

    Canada plans to set up a military base in Germany under a deal that will allow the expanding Canadian military to increase its global reach.

    The new “operational support hub” – along with others to be set up around the world – will allow Canada to deploy troops and supplies to distant hotspots on short notice, said a joint statement by the German and Canadian governments as German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere paid a visit to Ottawa.

    It’s still not clear when the base at Cologne-Bonn Airport will be set up or how many Canadians will be there, although troop numbers will not approach the tens of thousands of Americans currently stationed in Germany.

    De Maiziere told a press conference that he and his Canadian counterpart, Peter MacKay, are also discussing missile defence, the future of Afghanistan and the nuclear component of NATO defence capabilities – all topics of an upcoming NATO summit in Chicago in May.

    According to the Canadian CBC television network, Germany and Canada have recently been expanding their defence cooperation as both countries grapple with prolonged military deployments to Afghanistan.

    The Canadians have experimented with setting up temporary logistics hubs in Germany to support their Afghanistan mission – one successful such venture was recently launched alongside the American military in Spangdahlem, Rhineland-Palatinate.

    Canada’s Post-Media News said that in deciding where to set up logistics’ hubs, Canadian forces have been impressed with Germany’s organisational skills and also count a long history of cooperation as a plus.

    “For decades, Canadian personnel stationed in Germany during the Cold War developed close relations with their German counterparts and their local communities,” it quoted MacKay as saying

    The Local/AFP/mdm

    Reply
11. 

    Ursula says:

    February 7, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    Hertling, Baumholder mayor discuss community’s future
    Published: February 1, 2012
    Baumholder Mayor Peter Lang in his office in Baumholder, Germany. Lang met with Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, commander of U.S. Army Europe, at Baumholder City Hall on Wednesday to discuss what impact the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Europe might have on Baumholder.
    BAUMHOLDER, Germany — The mayor of Baumholder, a town where Americans outnumber German residents 3 to 1, said he was assured Wednesday by the commander of U.S. Army Europe that an American presence would remain in the town, amid concerns about the impact of the anticipated withdrawal of the 170th Infantry Brigade.
    The Department of Defense announced last week that two Europe-based heavy brigades would be withdrawn from Europe starting next year. Although officials have not named the units, the only two heavy brigades in Europe are the 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade, based in Grafenwöhr, and the 170th, based in Baumholder. That would leave two brigades permanently based in Europe.
    Mayor Peter Lang said Wednesday after meeting with Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling that the USAREUR commander talked about “what could happen, what could be the plan” during what Hertling described as a meeting between old friends. But “what troops will be here in the future, he couldn’t say too much about it,” Lang said.
    The mayor said he conveyed his desire for Americans to continue to be a part of the Baumholder community, not only for the income they generate for the economy, but because of the long-standing friendship between the two nations.
    “We’ve been living here with Americans for two generations,” Lang said. Hertling, he said, assured him that “Baumholder is one of the enduring installations and will be in the future.”
    Hertling said he could not yet discuss details of the plans, which were outlined last month as part of a national defense strategy that foresees a reduction of forces in Europe. More details are expected when President Barack Obama releases the full budget request for fiscal 2013 on Feb. 13.
    Business owners and workers in Baumholder, a town with a German population of about 4,000, say they’re nervously awaiting official word on the future of the U.S. military presence in Baumholder.
    “Here, you can fold the sidewalks up if the Americans leave,” said Heidi Conley, 62, an office manager at Atlantic Trust, which sells car insurance policies to Americans only.
    Advertisement
    Marlies Kolb, 67, owner of NCO Services, a car rental company in Baumholder, said the community is pinning its hopes on the pledge that Baumholder will remain an “enduring community.”
    “The military is our industry,” she said. “I just hope we get other troops here, even if it’s not as many.”
    The military community in Baumholder numbers roughly 14,000, including families and civilians, according to base officials. Of the 4,500 soldier authorizations for the garrison, 3,800 belong to the brigade, according to USAREUR.
    It’s possible Baumholder could host rotational units in the future, or be home to Army logistics units from elsewhere in Europe, USAREUR officials have said.

    svanj@estripes.osd.mil

    Reply
12. 

    ursula says:

    February 3, 2012 at 4:31 am

    Thousands of US troops leaving Bavaria
    Published: 3 Feb 12 09:17 CET
    The American military will close two military bases in the German state of Bavaria by 2015 as part of a planned drawdown of forces stationed in Europe.
    The cities affected – Bamberg and Schweinfurt – will lose approximately 7,500 soldiers, according to mayors who met with the leader of the US Army in Europe, Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling Wednesday.

    Mayor Andreas Starke of Bamberg said there will be a gradual reduction of troop numbers over the next few years before the bases officially shutter.

    Starke said although the closures would have “far-reaching consequences,” hurting craftsmen and other businesses who have made millions of euros from the Americans, he said it will also have benefits.

    “In a crisis, there’s also a chance,” Starke said, pointing to the city’s long-running need for new student housing to support the University of Bamberg.

    Schweinfurt Mayor Sebastian Remelé too tried to take something positive from the announcement, saying new residential housing was needed and that he could also envision new businesses moving onto space left by the decommissioned base. However, he said, 600 local civilian jobs were threatened by the closure.

    Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said the federal government would be offering special assistance to the affected cities.

    “The federal government will surely help wherever it has leeway,” Friedrich told the Münchner Merkur newspaper.

    In January, the US government announced it was pulling between 10,000 and 15,000 military personnel out of Europe as part of redeployment to focus on the Middle East and Asia.

    The Local/DAPD/mdm

    Reply
    • 

      Joan1954 says:

      February 7, 2012 at 10:51 am

      How many US Army and Air Force facilities are left in Germany now? Do I understand that Heidelberg will be closing?
    • 

      ursula says:

      February 7, 2012 at 1:15 pm

      @Joan1854
      Hi,

      yes Heidelberg is going down starting 2014
      for more info. check the following link:
      The Official Home Page of the United States Army | The United …

      http://www.bw.eur.army.mil-
    • 

      osce archie says:

      April 1, 2012 at 5:56 pm

      URSULA,what has happened to fleigerhorse kaserne.i was there from 88-91.was wondering will they let you in to take pictures.i was trying to get pictures of my old barracks which were on the left side as you came into the barracks.i was in the 2/75 FA BN .I was friends with these 3 german women named karla croteau,katja sesselman,and susan gumm.wished i knew what happened to them.long live the rod and gun club and Tony’s .
13. 

    ursula says:

    February 2, 2012 at 3:55 am

    Wednesday, February 1, 2012 3:19:19 PM
    NEWS ALERT /Washingto9n Post/Wash. D.C.

    U.S. seeks to end combat operations in Afghanistan next year, Panetta says

    The United States and NATO will seek to end combat operations in Afghanistan next year and shift to a role of providing support and training to Afghan security forces, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta says.

    U.S. military commanders had said in recent weeks they would begin a transition this year toward taking more of an advisory role as Afghanistan’s national army and police take greater responsibility for fighting the insurgency. But Panetta’s remarks are the first time the Obama administration has said it could foresee an end to regular U.S. and NATO combat operations by the second half of next year.

    Reply
14. 

    Janice A. Farringer says:

    January 30, 2012 at 12:55 pm

    I was stationed at Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart from 1977-1980. As a writer now, I am collecting oral histories of women who served in any service from or including the years 1976-1983.

    If you would be available to help me I would love to talk with you by telephone. It should take less than an hour and I will send a CD of our conversation before you sign a release so that I may use the material. Contact Janice Farringer
    at jafarringer@yahoo.com. Thanks.

    Reply