Why is the army stationed in germany

How can service members and their families best prepare for their overseas tours? Honestly, there is not a lot of good information out there about PCSing to Europe.

The nuggets you do find on official websites can be confusing or raise even more questions. That's why I started blogging about the overseas experience.

As a family member, a soldier and then as a spouse, I have been through numerous tours in both Germany and Belgium. As a result, I put together more than two dozen tips that will be more useful for your PCS to Europe so you can be more ready that you ever dreamed possible.

This list of 27 things covers the highlights to allow you to hit the ground running when you PCS to Germany, Belgium or other European locations. Parents spent hours waiting to grab the first COVID vaccination appointments for children ages 5 to 11 at the largest U.

Both U. Africa Command and European Command are headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, and, perhaps most importantly, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center was a critical waypoint for thousands of wounded troops from U.

That hospital, in case you are wondering, is for U. Despite the naked national interest and critical necessity of basing U. West Germans pushed for de-escalation and viewed escalatory policies hesitantly or fearfully. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a reunited Germany has continually sought to engage Russia, much to the chagrin of many in Washington. For 20 years German policymakers across the political spectrum did not believe European security policy could be defined against Russia.

Merkel led the way on the Western sanctions regime and coordinated policy within the European Union. She pushed the German business community—long sympathetic to Moscow because of trade issues—even further. Berlin deployed troops to Lithuania as a framework nation , meaning that Berlin provides the bulk of the force along with key enablers, and then smaller allies can plug in capabilities.

The move shows a strong commitment to common defense. And long before U. The current defense minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, continues to push for more capability development. The German approach to Russia has long favored diplomacy and engagement over tantrums and militarization, and this will not change. Elites in Berlin do not want to shirk such commitments, but the worries around being dragged into a conflict are all the greater as Trump abandons arms control agreements and international treaties at an alarming rate.

These cookies collect - completely anonymously - data about the use of the website in order to provide visitors with an even better user experience. About us Operations Newsroom Contacts. Search our content. Together, they provide the forces required to ensure Germany's political capacity to react fast at any time in different areas of operation. In addition, about 10, servicemembers are on standby for international conflict prevention and crisis management. Enhanced Forward Presence. With all these, it has never been a […].

USAG Garmisch is just one of the wide variety of names for American bases run under the German laws in the southern and central parts of this country. It is famous in the area for the Oberammergau school […]. USAG Grafenwoehr represents the path to celebrity for the small town of Grafenwoehr, located in eastern Bavaria, close to the border with the Czech Republic.

It is one of the dozens of co-bases located in the southern part of Germany. In other words, the entire […]. It is actually a co-base, which means it is run by both American and German authorities. The base is located in the south western part of Germany, close to the Necktar river.

History This American base has a long history. It was one of the dozens of such co-bases located in the central and southern parts of Germany. Hessen was placed in the middle of the country, close to a very cultural human community — only a few […]. It is a co-base that provides high quality services and support for multinational forces, but mostly for the American troops. According to a self description, the base teaches the leaders how to lead, the soldiers […].