Senate Resolution on Military Forces in Europe

[Jake]

I'll be amending this to define what conventional forces are later today.

[Jake]

Do you have that amendment yet Jake?

Yes, sorry. I just got AoE III

Ahem:

Strike Section 3 and add the following:

Therefore, the Senate urges the President, in consultation with our NATO allies and the Secretary of Defense, to order the following units to redeploy to Continental United States bases:

a) First Infantry Division, and subsidiary units
b) First Armored Division, and subsidiary units
c) Third Air Force, and subsidiary units
d) V Corps HQ

and add a Section 4 between 3 and 4.

The Senate also urges the President, in consultation with the Pentagon, to provide for the maintenence of key bases and military equiptment in Europe.

[Jake]

Soulty - This is a partial withdrawal of two heavy divisions, their corps headquarters, and one of the two combat air forces in Europe. There remains significant forces deployed elsewhere in the region, Marine and Army, as well as another Air Force in Italy.

Lewis - I have numbers for the V Corps, which includes the two heavy divisions and a multitude of combat support units totaling c. 42,000 troops and a further 57,000 dependants and is based throughout the Rhine/Main area of Germany. The Third Air Force has c. 25,000 troops and a further 35,000 dependants and is deployed at air bases throughout the UK and Germany, primarily at RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and at Spangdehlem AB.

So we're looking at c. 67,000 troops and 92,000 dependants; though not all of these will be redeployed and some will remain to maintain the bases and equiptment for any possible deployment.

[Jake]

Aye

[Jake]

Following this vote, I'd like to amend the resolution again after noticing a misworded clause.

Replace the present clause d) with:

d) V Corps HQ, and subsidiary units

[Jake]

I didn't think there are that many US soldiers left in the Rhein/Main area left right now, so I suppose you're using the term Rhine/Main a little more loosely than a German would, and this would affect the Idar-Oberstein, Birkenfeld, Bad Kreuznach etc area of Rheinland-Pfalz, where (at least according to conventional wisdom in Germany) the largest concentrations of US soldiers now are?

Indeed

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This is the purpose of Section III. I would hope the President would consult with German leaders, among others, before committing to specifics of this plan.

[Jake]

Following this vote, I'd like to amend the resolution again after noticing a misworded clause.

Replace the present clause d) with:

d) V Corps HQ, and subsidiary units

This amendment is necessary only to declare our support for moving the entire V Corps, rather than simply its headquarters to the US.

[Jake]

Aye

[Jake]

I'm hearing you Soulty, but you and I both know that American troops can be to Europe long before anything requiring heavy divisions erupts.

[Jake]

Aye

[Jake]

Seeing how the Senate has undertaken our role in passing a resolution outlining what we believe is the best plan of action, I call upon the President as Commander in Chief to put this plan into motion.