HEIDELBERG, Germany-- U.S. Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr. and GEN David
D. McKiernan, Commanding General U.S. Army Europe, co-hosted five Members of the
Bundestag and seven senior staff members at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center
(JMRC) in Hohenfels, Bavaria, September 24. During the visit, parliamentarians viewed
and were briefed on the activities of the JMRC, which is one of the most modern and
sophisticated training facilities in the world today. JMRC provides Allied and Partner
soldiers the opportunity to share lessons learned from recent operations and train using
the latest techniques, tactics and procedures needed to operate successfully in today's
complex security environment.
According to Ambassador Timken, "this center is key to the success of the global
war on terrorism and to support democracy-building measures conducted together with
NATO Allies and Partners." The visit demonstrated the significance of multinational
participation in all training at the JMRC as well as the continued importance of
Germany's engagement in Afghanistan.
Host GEN McKiernan said "We welcome this opportunity to share with our close
friends how we prepare not only our US soldiers, but our partners' as well. Soldiers from
all over Europe share their lessons learned, which we incorporate into the training here in
Hohenfels and Grafenwoehr. Role players with regional knowledge, deployment
experience, and native languages add significantly to the realism of the training. We feel
that this training, and these training areas in Germany, are the best in the world in
preparing US, NATO, and other coalition formations and leaders to operate in the
complex environment they face today."
-MOREBundestag
Delegation
The JMRC provides realistic and demanding training for U.S. Army task forces
stationed in Europe as well as units from 25 Allied and Partner nations. Additionally, it
provides training for individual soldiers and units on their way to participate missions in
Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo, among others.
The visit also provided an opportunity to demonstrate that the avoidance of
civilian casualties and other collateral damage is a critical part of the JMRC training
program. The briefings stressed the importance of civil-military relations and cultural
sensitivity as part of U.S. efforts to spread stability and peace.
The following members of the Bundestag participated in the program:
- Andreas Schockenhoff (CDU), Deputy Caucus Chairman
- Bernd Siebert, the CDU Defense Policy Spokesman
- Detlef Dzembritzki, Chair of the SPD Task Force on Afghanistan
- Rainer Stinner (FDP), a member of the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committees
- Karl-Georg Wellmann (CDU), member of the Foreign Affairs Committee
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