ACTION REQUEST: ROUND 56 - HOST NATION

S E C R E T STATE 006305 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/14/2020 TAGS: MARR NATO PREL GM SUBJECT: ACTION REQUEST: ROUND 56 - HOST NATION CONSULTATION FOR CLOSURE AND RETURN OF US ARMY EUROPE FACILITIES IN MANNHEIM, HEIDELBERG, AND GIESSEN, GERMANY, AND ASSOCIATED FORCE STRUCTURE CHANGES REF: A. RND 56 EUCOM NOMINATION MESSAGE 080632Z APR 09 ¶B. RND 56 USAREUR NOMINATION MESSAGE 042011Z DEC 08 ¶C. DODI 4165.69 6 APR 05 Classified By: EUR/RPM Director Bruce Turner for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (S) THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST FOR EMBASSY BERLIN. POST IS REQUESTED TO UNDERTAKE HOST NATION CONSULTATIONS AT THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL REGARDING RETURN OF THE SITES IDENTIFIED IN PARAGRAPH 2 BELOW AND FOR THE ASSOCIATED FORCE STRUCTURE ACTIONS OUTLINED IN REF B. ADDITIONAL DETAILS ARE IN REF A AND B. PLEASE NOTE THAT INACTIVATION OF US ARMY GARRISON MANNHEIM IN FY10 SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE CONSULTATION. THIS IS THE 56TH ROUND IN A SERIES OF EUROPEAN BASE CLOSURES RECOMMENDED FOR RETURN OR PARTIAL RETURN BY COMMANDER, U.S. EUROPEAN COMMAND. POST IS REQUESTED TO REPORT RESULTS OF HOST NATION CONSULTATIONS AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE. WHEN POST'S RESPONSE IS RECEIVED, OSD WILL SEEK DEPSECDEF APPROVAL OF THE REALIGNMENTS. AFTER THE APPROVAL, A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT AND PA GUIDANCE WILL BE PROMULGATED (COORDINATED BY DOD AND STATE),AND FACILITY RETURNS AND UNIT ACTIONS WILL COMMENCE. ¶2. (S/REL GM) IN ACCORDANCE WITH DOD INSTRUCTION 4165.69, REALIGNMENT OF DOD SITES OVERSEAS (REF C),COMMANDER, U.S. EUROPEAN COMMAND (USEUCOM) HAS NOMINATED U.S. ARMY EUROPE (USAREUR) FACILITIES IN MANNHEIM, HEIDELBERG, AND GIESSEN, GERMANY, FOR RETURN TO THE HOST NATION. THE FOLLOWING 23 FACILITIES HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: PHASE ONE (T) NLT 2010: US ARMY GARRISON (USAG) HEIDELBERG: HAMMONDS BARRACKS SCHWETZINGEN TRAINING AREA MARK TWAIN VILLAGE HOUSING (PARTIAL) US ARMY GARRISON (USAG) MANNHEIM: MANNHEIM CLASS III POINT TAYLOR BARRACKS PHASE TWO (T) NLT 2014: USAG MANNHEIM: FUNARI BARRACKS SULLIVAN BARRACKS BEN FRANKLIN VILLAGE FAMILY HOUSING PHASE THREE (T) NLT 2015: USAG MANNHEIM: COLEMAN BARRACKS SPINELLI BARRACKS LAMPERTHEIM TRAINING AREA EDIGHEIM BEACON SITE USAG HEIDELBERG: CAMPBELL BARRACKS (CURRENT HQ US ARMY EUROPE) HEIDELBERG GOLF COURSE HEIDELBERG HOSPITAL HEIDELBERG COMMUNITY SUPPORT CENTER HEIDELBERG ARMY HELIPORT KILBOURNE KASERNE MARK TWAIN FAMILY HOUSING OFTERSHEIM SMALL ARMS RANGE PATRICK HENRY VILLAGE FAMILY HOUSING PATTON BARRACKS TOMPKINS BARRACKS USAG WIESBADEN: GIESSEN GENERAL DEPOT NOTE: FOR HOST NATION NOTIFICATION OF ASSOCIATED FORCE STRUCTURE ACTIONS SEE REF B, BUT EXCLUDE THE INACTIVATION OF THE USAG-MANNHEIM IN FY10. ¶3. (S) ANTICIPATED ANNUAL OPERATING COST SAVINGS BY THIS REALIGNMENT ARE APPROXIMATELY $148M/YEAR. ROUND 56 ACTIONS WILL AFFECT APPROXIMATELY 5,507 SOLDIERS, 2,991 U.S. CIVILIANS, AND 1,973 HOST NATION POSITIONS (FOR A TOTAL OF 10,471 PERSONNEL). THE OVERALL IMPACT INCLUDES THE NET LOSS OF APPROXIMATELY 1,300 LOCAL NATIONAL JOBS. ¶4. (S) THIS NOMINATION SUPPORTS USAREUR,S ONGOING TRANSFORMATION AND CONSOLIDATION EFFORTS AND IS CONSISTENT WITH USEUCOM,S MASTER PLAN, THE STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION PLAN, AND THE DOD GLOBAL DEFENSE POSTURE REALIGNMENT EFFORT. ¶5. (S) U.S. AFRICA COMMAND HAS COORDINATED AND CONCURRED ON THIS NOMINATION PACKAGE. ¶6. (U) INFORMATION WILL BE DECLASSIFIED UPON PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT. OSD/ISA-EUR POLICY POC IS RICHARD DOTSON, 703-614-7195; OSD/ATL POC IS MS. SHERRY HOLLIMAN, 703-697-7303; JOINT STAFF/J-5 POC IS CDR DAN CALDWELL, 703-613-1466 (DSN 224); HQ EUCOM REALIGNMENT POC IS MR. AL LEW, ECJ4-EN, COMMERCIAL 49-711-680-8664, DSN 430-8664; USAREUR POC IS MS. MILLIE WATERS, COMMERCIAL 49-06221-57-3693. CLINTON