CHAPTER V: THE ROLE OF U.S. MILITARY FORCES IN EUROPE
U.S. military forces continue to play critical roles in Europe. They are one of the essential instruments by which the United States makes manifest its continued commitment to the security of Europe. They underwrite America's national strategy of engagement and protect vital interests and lines of communication in Europe and beyond. These stationed forces-combined with frequent temporary deployments of U.S.-based personnel for exercise, training, and crisis response purposes- ensure that the United States will always have the means to meet its treaty commitments to NATO. They also underscore our national will to deter or defeat aggression and prevail in crisis management operations, since we will not place our service members in harm's way without giving them the means and authorities necessary to defend themselves and accomplish their assigned mission.
In addition to their role as security guarantors within Europe, U.S. military units based in Europe are often the first to react to emerging crises in Africa, the Middle East, and the Persian Gulf. In their day-to-day non-crisis operations, our stationed forces play a key role in sustaining and improving bilateral security ties with, and the military capabilities of, both Allies and Partners.
Shaping the Security Environment
USEUCOM plays a vital role in shaping the international security environment. Through thousands of multilateral and bilateral engagement activities every year (ranging from field exercises and training missions to military education courses at the Marshall Center), USEUCOM helps Allies and Partners improve their military skills and capabilities. In conjunction with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, USEUCOM has worked closely with several Partners in the region to conduct in-depth Defense Assessments and Defense Planning Exchanges. These assessments and exchanges assist the Partners in developing: a coherent national defense strategy compatible with those of NATO members; the force structure, personnel, and infrastructure systems necessary to support that strategy; and a realistic time-phased plan to accomplish priority objectives within an affordable defense budget. Through the Foreign Military Financing, International Military Education and Training, and Foreign Military Sales programs managed by DoD, USEUCOM assists nations to meet critical shortfalls in training and equipment, and to focus on and improve the quality of life of their military personnel. Through its administration of Warsaw Initiative Funds, USEUCOM provides needed support to Partner countries that otherwise would not be able to participate in certain PfP activities and exercises.
USEUCOM's engagement activities remain an important element of our long-term strategy to strengthen transatlantic security through building cooperative relationships between the United States and European militaries (13). They produce impressive dividends for a relatively modest investment in resources, and contribute directly to our ability to work effectively with Allies and Partners in military missions ranging from humanitarian relief to crisis response operations such as Kosovo.
The precise nature of these engagement activities, however, must be sufficiently flexible to accommodate a diverse and evolving set of requirements and opportunities. For example, by virtue of their greater capabilities and continuing political, economic, or security ties to former overseas possessions, certain Allies might be more willing than others to cooperate with USEUCOM on Small Scale Contingency operations within the USEUCOM Area of Responsibility outside Europe. Joint training exercises will serve to improve our capability to work together in such instances. They also will improve our Allies' capabilities to act without U.S. combat or combat-support assistance, but in ways that still serve our common security interests. Similarly, some Partners will progress faster than others in accomplishing needed military reforms and restructuring. Our future engagement plans must be flexible enough to allow us to redirect resources, when necessary, to those who need them the most and have demonstrated an ability to use them most effectively. |
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United States European Command in brief
The U.S. military presence in Europe is organized under the unified combatant command known as the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM). Under the Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (USCINCEUR), USEUCOM is responsible for planning and conducting all military operations and military engagement activities within an "Area of Responsibility" (AOR) that stretches from the North Cape of Norway to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa-an expanse of nearly 14 million square miles that includes 91 countries and territories and more than one billion people. Another 9 countries and territories fall within USEUCOM's "area of interest," because of possible USEUCOM participation in operations, including engagement exercises, involving those countries.
Since 1995, roughly 100,000 military personnel have been assigned to USEUCOM. This total necessarily has fluctuated as a result of operational requirements, including naval deployments. USEUCOM's current forces include:
- 65,000 U.S. Army personnel. Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) commands the Army's major heavy combatant force in Europe, which includes 6 tank and 6 mechanized infantry battalions, 2 aviation brigades, artillery and other support units. In addition, USEUCOM maintains a quick reaction force, comprised of a light infantry battalion and aviation assets, as part of the Southern European Task Force headquartered in Vicenza, Italy.
- 34,000 U.S. Air Force personnel. Headquartered in Ramstein, Germany, U.S. Air Forces Europe (USAFE) has operational control over air assets based principally in Germany, the UK, Italy, and Turkey. These include combat aircraft for the full range of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, and "force multiplier" aircraft for air-to-air refueling, transport, and command, control, and surveillance.
- 22,000 U.S. Navy personnel. Headquartered in London, U.S. Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR) commands more than 8,000 personnel stationed throughout the EUCOM AOR, and an additional 14,000 personnel who are forward deployed on more than 30 ships in the Mediterranean.
- 3900 U.S. Marine Corps personnel. Headquartered in Boeblingen, Germany, U.S. Marine Forces Europe (MARFOREUR) provides forces to various joint task forces in the EUCOM AOR, including a Fleet Antiterrorism Support Team in Naples, Italy.
- 1400 U.S. Special Operations Forces. Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR) commands units based in Germany, Spain, and the UK, and provides USEUCOM with the capability to insert appropriate forces for any level of conflict/operation.
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[See Figure 1