European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 20, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                June 2007 stars and stripes Page 3 getting ready in the states is Wist 1st id Headquarters fort photos Courtesy of the army new Barracks in mock iraqi Village fort wifi tap makeover five years the defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sent marching orders to Marine James telling him that the european command needed an overhaul to meet the unique challenges of the 21st Jones started in called for the moving of thou Sands of troops from Europe Back to the United mov ing troops into Eastern Europe and setting up Forward operating Sites in but Jones successor army Bantz Craddock is questioning whether pulling troops out of Europe during this time of War is a prudent stars and stripes reviews the status of the military transformation in Europe in a series of stories that look at the present and Day 1 Neucom leaders address transformation issues Day 2 a look at troop strength through the years Day 3 How the military closes its bases today stateside bases get ready for influx of troops Day 5 air Navy also getting new look Day 6 the Impact of politics on transformation to read the entire visit fort Texas for new troops and the base is building firing a child development a youth activity a dental clinic and a Post Exchange stateside bases prepare for influx by Leo Shane Iii stars and stripes Washington Kansas fort Riley and Texas fort Bliss will see tens of thousands of new faces on base in the next few years and still need hundreds of millions in construction work to get ready for but officials at both posts say they Arent were very confident that everything will be ready in said Linda Deputy Garrison commander at fort we have new housing being built on and the outside Community has stepped both posts predict motor dining Halls and roadways will be finished be fore they see major Waves of troops from Europe starting next we still have a lot of time Between now and said Clark director of the fort Bliss transformation Over the last 14 weve had a lot of Dia Logue with planners and with the and weve seen a lot of fort Riley has already begun More than million in construction this fiscal fort Bliss is scheduled to perform More than million in military construction work in the next two officials at both facilities said delays on the Federal level Over base closure funds have not played a major role in construction More than half of nearly billion in projects were delayed by several months As Congress debated a supplemental funding but Hoeffner and Mcchesney said their projects for this year were for the most part Given first priority on funding because of the importance of getting their bases ready for in coming neither base has plans to use temporary housing facilities or put troops up in local to so were still on track to be done on Mcchesney both posts have held regular sessions with local civic leaders to make sure of base hous school space and other Community ser vices Are ready for the influx of new soldiers and their Sec stateside on Pace 4 Seth and stripes construction continues on eight new Barracks that will be ready for soldiers arriving at at fort Riley before the army announced its the area around the base would build up to 35 new Homes in a this new housing permits were at fort Bliss a major school expansion a million traffic and the construction of the largest Inland water desalinization Plant in the world have All broken ground this in Europe about soldiers were based in Europe four years by the end of that number will be about military is adjusting to a new footprint in Europe by Charlie Coon stars and stripes the military built brigades Stryker and combat to sol Diers it also is building a task Force in will soon be training in and already is at burgeoning Sites in Grafe Wohr and a new uni fied Africa opened in february in As did a nato special operations coordination but while a building up is Tak ing a tearing Down is also soon to leave historic facilities looking like ghost about soldiers were based in Europe four years by the end of that num ber will be about while the bases at Grafe Wohr and vice Wurzburg Dwin when you look at what weve done this its been an unbelievably Tough said Mark the former operations chief for army now commander of 1st armoured looking Back on i was holy smokes herding weve accomplished All the things we said we were going to see Europe on Page 4