Posted on 01/30/2006 10:54:05 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4
Editor’s note: A clarification to this story has been issued since its original publication.
HEIDELBERG, Germany — The first U.S. forces to rotate into the future training facility in Romania will likely be from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Stryker), probably some time in the summer of 2007.
The Stryker brigade is expected to relocate this year from Fort Lewis, Wash., to Grafenwöhr. One of its battalions plus a few other units are expected to go to Romania for the initial rotation, according to Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, the U.S. Army Europe deputy chief of staff for operations.
In the summer of 2008, the first regular rotations of U.S.-based brigades to Romania are expected to begin.
“I’m not sure which brigade that’s going to be or what kind of brigade — infantry, airborne, Stryker — but it will be one of those brigades,” Hertling said.
In the long term, Hertling said, the U.S. forces that rotate into Romania, to be called the Eastern European Task Force, could also include airmen and Marines. The rotations would last for up to six months and be unaccompanied tours (without family members).
On Dec. 6, the U.S. and Romania signed an agreement that set the stage for talks between military leaders on how the bases — which are being called shared facilities — would be used.
The agreement will allow U.S. forces to use the former communist-ruled nation for training, prepositioning of equipment and, if necessary, staging and deploying. The sites include the Smardan Training Range, Babadag Training Area and Rail Head, Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, and Cincu Training Range.
The U.S. is also negotiating with Bulgaria, Romania’s neighbor to the south, to establish similar training facilities.
“In the next couple of months, I’d say there’s a high chance of [an agreement with Bulgaria],” Hertling said.
Hertling outlined the plans for Romania on Thursday while announcing a move that would send about 4,800 soldiers this year from Germany to the U.S. and send 2,400 more to other units within USAREUR.
The move is part of an Army plan to establish four combat brigades in Europe that would be among the 40-plus combat brigades being assembled worldwide.
In addition to the brigades that rotate into Romania, other Europe-based combat brigades would be located in Grafenwöhr (the 2nd Cavalry Regiment), the Ansbach area (the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade) and Vicenza, Italy (the 173rd Airborne Brigade).
Romania has been a staunch ally of the U.S. during recent operations, having deployed forces to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The goals for the Eastern European Task Force were outlined in March during testimony to Congress by Marine Gen. James L. Jones, the EUCOM commander.
They include improved security in the region, better training opportunities for U.S., Romanian and Bulgarian troops, and quicker response “to areas of contention before they become areas of crises,” Jones said.
Clarification
Stars and Stripes European edition, Monday, January 30, 2006
In a Jan. 28 story that reported the U.S. could soon reach an agreement to establish shared military facilities in another country, Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, U.S. Army Europe’s deputy chief of staff for operations, was asked about bases in Bulgaria. In his response he did not mention the nation by name, instead saying “areas of the world, but I won’t say where.”
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The Romanians are good guys. I slept more or less peacefully in my bunk knowing that these rough men were up in the towers.
Why not Task Force Dracula?
I went outside the wire once with a TAB-79 for force protection. They reminded me of Oddball's tank crew in Kelly's Heroes.
Or Battle Group IMPALER
Why unaccompanied?
LOL!
Romanian soldiers secure an area in a village near Kandahar City in Afghanistan, May 21, 2005. U.S. soldiers attached to the Combined Joint Task Force 76 participated in a search for weapons in the village that could be used against Coalition forces. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jerry T. Combes.
Romanian BTR-80, called TAB-77. Never heard of these tipping over. Their tires are much bigger than on Canadian LAVIII's.
They're being sent out there to train and get ready to deploy on short notice. They won't have much time for mama and the kids. Also, the Army doesn't want to build family quarters, commissaries, day care centers, and all that other family support stuff.
The Romanians provide a lot of force protection for missions outside the wire.
Troops from a Romanian mechanized infantry battalion deployed near Kandahar. So far six battalions served there for 6 months each, starting in July 2002: the 26th, 812th, 151st, 280th, 281st and the 300th.
I heard they brought their Orthodox Christian priests along as well to minisiter to thier soldiers. Hope the radical mussies do not target the Romanian and Bulgarians heavily because of their religion.
The radical mussies especially HATE the Orthodox Christians in Iraq and just this past Sunday blew up a car in front of an Iraqi Orthodox Christian Church. Nobody was killed thank God.
Romanians have a long history of defending the West against Mohammed's hordes. I wonder what their troops have to say about their deployment in Muslim lands?
The chapel they had in their old camp down by POL burned down.
A friend of mine is married to a Romanian woman. They have some very cute girls there
The Turks were advancing into Romania at one point. Lord Drakkula had accumulated a few thousand Turk prisoners. He had them all impaled in the path of the oncoming Turk forces.
The Turks saw the field of impaled Muzzies, said to themselves "This is one seriously cold and crazy mo-fo...", turned around and got the hell out
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