Ansbach Weekly

Weekly IMCOM Sampler - Here’s what’s happening at U.S. Army Garrisons around the world. More…

Eye on AMC - What’s happening within the U.S. Army Materiel Command—IMCOM’s senior command. More…

Calendar and menu updates from around the garrison.

• Oct. 8-12: Vienna & Budapest trip with Outdoor Recreation. More...
• Oct. 12: Columbus Day, U.S. federal holiday
• Oct. 15: Six the Musical, Sadowski Theater, 7:30 p.m. More...
• Oct. 16: 5 Love Languages Game Night
• ​Oct. 16: Six the Musical, Sadowski Theater, 7:30 p.m. More...
• Oct. 17: Six the Musical, Sadowski Theater, 7:30 p.m. More...
• Oct. 18: Retirees lunch with Retired Soldier Council, Katterbach DFAC, 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Oct. 22: U.S. Military Academy recruiting event at the Katterbach DFAC, 12 - 1 p.m. More...
• Oct. 22: Trick Or Treat Stroll, 10-11 a.m. More...
• Oct. 23-25: Express trip to Lyon, France, with Outdoor Recreation.
• Oct. 25: 500/1000 Pound Club Event, 12-1 p.m. More...
• Oct. 27: Career Summit for transitioning Soldiers at Rose Barracks, Vilseck. More...
• Oct. 27: Ansbach Hospital Maternity Tour with ACS, 1-3 p.m. More...
• Oct. 29: Boo Bash at Hanger 2 on Katterbach Kaserne, 5-9 p.m.
• Oct. 31: Rocky Horror Picture Show, Sadowski Movie Theater, 10:30 p.m. More...
• Nov. 3-6: Annual flu drive at the Health Clinic, 2-6 p.m. More...
• Nov. 4: Bulk trash pickup at Katterbach, Urlas and Bleidorn housing areas, 7 a.m. More...
• Nov. 5: Employment & Job Fair, Von Steuben Community Center, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. More...
• Nov. 12: Armed Forces Entertainment Comedy Show. More...
• Nov. 20-22: USAG Ansbach Holiday Bazaar.
• Nov. 26-29: Thanksgiving Ski/Snowbard Trip with Outdoor Recreation.
• Dec. 4: Holiday Tree Lighting, 5-8 p.m. More...

MWR CALENDAR | ACS CALENDAR | DoWEA SCHOOLS CALENDAR | USO EVENTS

• Every weekend, starting Sept. 19 until Nov. 1: Pumpkin exhibition at Castle Kaltenberg featuring incredible pumpkin sculptures and activities for all ages! For more information and to purchase tickets, click here!
• Oct. 3-14: Michaelis Kichweih in Fürth. It is held in the streets of Fürth's city centre, also the name "Straßenkirchweih" (street fair). Unusual: there are no tents! In addition to different amusement rides, bar and snack stands, traders and market criers also offer their wares. The Kärwa is recognised on the Bavarian Cultural Heritage List and in the Federal Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage. More...
• Oct. 8-12: Heilsbronn Kirchweih
• Oct. 10-11: Streuobsttag (Meadow Orchard Day), Kapellenberg in Burgbernheim.
• Oct. 18: Gospel Concert Featuring the JES Trio and the Gunzenhausen Gospel Choir at the Sankt Marien Church in Gunzenhausen.
• Oct. 22-25: Illesheim Kirchweih
• Oct. 31 - Nov. 8: Autumn Fair with trade show in Rothenburg. More...

Weihnachtsmärkte - Christmas Markets

For more Christmas Markets, click here!

• Nov. 20 - Dec. 23: Rothenburg
• Nov. 23 - Dec. 22: Dinkelsbühl
• Nov. 24 - Dec. 23: Bamberg
• Nov. 26 - Dec. 23: Ansbach
• Nov. 27 - Dec. 20: Bad Windsheim
• Nov. 27 - Dec. 23: Würzburg
• Nov. 27 - Dec. 24: Nürnberg
• Nov. 27 - 29: Within the Castle in Schillingsfürst
• Nov. 28-29: Sachsen bei Ansbach
• Nov 28-29: Cadolzburg
• Nov. 29: Lichtenau
• Dec. 5 -6: Iphofen
• Dec. 5-6: Uffenheim
• Dec. 18 - 19: Herrieden

US soldiers in Germany test Apaches for use in fight against drones

Soldiers assigned to USAG Ansbach's 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment conducted during Operation Skyfall II at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Oct. 6, 2026. Army air defense soldiers used ground radar to cue Apache helicopters that shot down drones during the exercise. The Skyfall exercises grew out of the Army’s modernization initiative known as Project Flytrap. Skyfall I, held in the spring, tested whether the drones could be shot down by an Apache. Skyfall II tested whether targeting data could be sent from the ground. (Stars and Stripes, October 7, 2026)

Range 109 at Grafenwöhr Training Area Being Expanded

The expansion of "Range 109" aligns with a major US Army investment drive in Grafenwöhr. There, the Army is constructing—among other facilities—an entirely new camp spanning 50 hectares as part of the Operational Readiness Training Complex (ORTC). More than 40 buildings are being erected, including a hospital, living quarters, vehicle maintenance facilities, a dining hall, and recreational amenities. In addition, a state-of-the-art combat simulation center is being built. In total, the U.S. Armed Forces are investing more than one billion dollars in the Grafenwöhr site. (onetz.de, October 8, 2026)

Trump says he will consider permanent US military base in Lithuania

US President Donald Trump said he “will definitely look” into the possibility of opening a permanenert US base in Lithuania — the Baltic country at the eastern NATO flank. “They are friends of mine, they are great people. So we will certainly look at it,” Trump told LRT reporter when asked whether US would consider establishing a permanent military base in Lithuania. The comments follow Lithuania’s Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius conversation with John Coale, President Donald Trump’s envoy to neighbouring Belarus, where he told that Vilnius wants US troops to be permanently stationed in the Baltic country amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and a series of hybrid threats, including drone incursions and the instrumentalization of migration by Belarus. (Euronews, October 8, 2026)

Shedding Light on the Blind Spot: How Leighton Barracks Became the Hubland District

Elisa Hill’s BLIND SPOT exhibition at the Würzburg City Archives documents her search for her African American American grandfather and the family history long left unspoken. Through photographs, letters, keepsakes, archival research, and images of the former Leighton Barracks—now Würzburg’s Hubland district—Hill traces her grandmother’s relationship with a U.S. soldier, their move to America, and their eventual separation. The project, created for her Communication Design bachelor’s thesis, helps Hill examine her German-American identity, connect with relatives she had not known, and narrow a personal “blind spot” about her roots, even though she never met her grandfather. (Mainfranken News, October 7, 2026)

Fighter jets take off for training exercises

Beginning Oct. 5, German Air Force fighter jets will be taking off and landing at Nuremberg’s civil airport as part of the "Dispersed Operations" exercise. The aim of the exercise is to practice operational procedures and optimize cooperation with civilian institutions, such as the airport fire department. A total of 74 takeoffs and landings involving four Eurofighter jets are scheduled between Monday and Friday. Civilian flight operations are to be disrupted as little as possible, and noise disturbance for the local population will be kept to a minimum. Takeoffs and landings will not take place during the early morning hours or in the evening. The Bundeswehr previously conducted "Dispersed Operations" training with Tornado aircraft at Hamburg Airport in June.​ (Nuernberger Nachrichten, October 4, 2026)

Sommerhausen Celebrates Pastorius’s Birthday

September 26 marked the 375th anniversary of the birth of Franz Daniel Pastorius, the famous US emigrant from Sommerhausen. The market town celebrated the occasion with events including a benefit concert by the Veitshöchheim Army Band and a festive parade. The day was defined above all by a sense of connection. Brigadier General André Abed, the garrison commander in Veitshöchheim, emphasized how extraordinary it was to be able to welcome U.S. forces to this celebration, given the current state of global politics. "It is our responsibility to continue this partnership," said Colonel Michael D. Cookey, commander of U.S. forces in Ansbach. He noted that, regardless of high-level politics, it is local connections that hold global significance. Cookey hails from the area near Germantown, which was founded by Pastorius. (Mainpost, September 28, 2026)

US Army Conducts Readiness Drill in Wiesbaden

NATO is testing the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative at Wiesbaden-Erbenheim to accelerate how allied forces build a shared operational picture and respond to threats, using artificial intelligence to consolidate and analyze data from drones, sensors, radars, cameras, and other systems within seconds. The multinational preliminary exercise, led in part by U.S. Army Europe and Africa, examines both technical interoperability and coordination among headquarters in a simulated attack on NATO’s eastern flank, incorporating lessons from Ukraine on rapid drone-enabled reconnaissance and response. Its findings will inform the larger Avenger Triad 26 exercise, scheduled for October 6–15, involving roughly 4,000 personnel from the United States and NATO allies. (Hessenschau, September 29, 2026)

65 Years of German-American Friendship: Anniversary Celebrations in Bay City

Bay City, Michigan, and Ansbach, Germany, marked the 65th anniversary of their sister-city partnership with a ceremony in Wenonah Park, where Ansbach Deputy Mayor Kathrin Pollack and Bay City leaders renewed the agreement. The celebration included a video on the cities’ shared history, the unveiling of an Ansbach-themed waterfront mural created by Bay City students in collaboration with an Ansbach artist, and a student exchange involving 13 Ansbach students and several participating schools in both cities. The exchange promotes cultural understanding, language development, and lasting international relationships. (Fraenkische Landeszeitung, September 30, 2026)

On Bundeswehr rearmament: Pentagon praises Germany before US Congress

The US Department of Defense has explicitly acknowledged Germany's efforts to increase defense spending in testimony before the US Congress. NATO allies such as Germany have taken credible steps to meet the pledges made at the alliance's summit in The Hague—well ahead of the 2035 deadline—according to a statement by Elbridge Colby, a Pentagon official, to the US Senate Armed Services Committee. Spurred by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and at the urging of US President Donald Trump, NATO agreed last year at the summit in The Hague to invest at least 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in defense in the future. An additional 1.5 percent is to be allocated for defense-related expenditures, such as infrastructure. In total, this means that—starting no later than 2035—five percent of GDP is to be invested annually in defense and security, a level not seen since the Cold War. Germany aims to reach this five-percent target by 2029. (Tagesspiegel, September 29, 2026)

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