Posted on Jul 10, 2016
General: Rising threats could change 'permanent force' goal in Europe
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Leaders debating the scale of permanent forces in Western Europe must consider factors that could put troops in harm's way, the chief of U.S. Air Forces Europe and Africa says.
Air Force Gen. Frank Gorenc, retiring this summer after a 37-year career, said emerging threats, such as homegrown terrorism in European countries, require NATO and allied nations to work with the United States to ensure safe haven not only for civilians, but for service members permanently based in the region.
“A rising a concern for me is the threat of homegrown terrorism inside the European theater,” Gorenc told Air Force Times on June 27. “The Paris and the Brussels attacks are a painful reminder that there are threats that are out there that can affect our airmen and Americans in general in Europe, and we need to pay attention to that.”
U.S. commanders for months have pushed to re-evaluate the military's role, reach and responsibilities in Europe. Russia's resurgence has forced Washington to rethink troop levels in Europe, eyeing a larger, permanent force in Western Europe that would help deter an unexpected fight against Russian forces in Eastern Europe or the Baltics.
In April, U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, head of U.S. European Command, told lawmakers he supports boosting troop levels in Europe.
"I understand the services' challenges in terms of ... resources to provide a permanently stationed brigade at this time. But I personally believe a permanently stationed armored brigade in Europe would be best,” said Scaparrotti, Europe’s supreme allied commander. The American force in Europe numbers roughly 65,000 personnel.
But, as Gorenc noted, terror threats pose more direct risks, and quick-rotational forces are just as capable of excelling and enhancing the mission.
“The reason we went to an expeditionary Air Force was to be able to use that force worldwide,” Gorenc said. “We count on those rotational forces to supplement what we do with our permanent forces, and I think the last two years have been a great demonstration of how we do that,” he said.
A multitude of aircraft theater security package rotations, which have included F-15C and A-10s, have trained for months with allies.
President Obama on Friday also announced that the United States will send about 1,000 troops to Poland in an effort to sustain a NATO rotational force.
The rotating battalions, welcomed by Polish President Andrzej Duda at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, would fall within a the terms of a 1997 U.S.-Russia treaty which mandates the U.S. cannot station permanent combat forces in Eastern Europe.
"All that being said, as a component commander inside of Europe, yeah, I’d like to have a more permanently assigned force," Gorenc said, "but the fact of the matter is, this is the force that I have, and the expeditionary force allows me to reach back and get as much force as I can prioritize."
And priorities keep changing.
It's not clear where U.S.-Russian relations will stand in the next few years, but USAFE-AFAFRICA forces are prepared to deal with the consequences of Russia’s behavior. It's expected that the demand for operations in Europe will continue to grow in tandem with high-tempo schedules across the globe.
Growing extremism, Gorenc said, from groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida in northern Africa will be time consuming for forces deploying for airlift and mobility missions or intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in the theater.
Furthermore, “one of the latest emerging things is the refugee migrant crisis that our European partners and allies are dealing with, because...some of that does consume their military forces,” he said.
But Gorenc emphasized that the safety and security of U.S. forces supporting such missions should not be neglected.
“There's lots of things going on in in NATO that are being discussed, particularly in respect to the security of our bases in Europe proper and an understanding and connection with potential threats of homegrown terrorism in and around our installations.
“The bottom line is we’re working together to make sure that we have a good dialogue going with respect to where [the U.S. and allies] have common interests and how we can help both in the NATO context and in the bilateral context,” he said.
Air Force Gen. Frank Gorenc, retiring this summer after a 37-year career, said emerging threats, such as homegrown terrorism in European countries, require NATO and allied nations to work with the United States to ensure safe haven not only for civilians, but for service members permanently based in the region.
“A rising a concern for me is the threat of homegrown terrorism inside the European theater,” Gorenc told Air Force Times on June 27. “The Paris and the Brussels attacks are a painful reminder that there are threats that are out there that can affect our airmen and Americans in general in Europe, and we need to pay attention to that.”
U.S. commanders for months have pushed to re-evaluate the military's role, reach and responsibilities in Europe. Russia's resurgence has forced Washington to rethink troop levels in Europe, eyeing a larger, permanent force in Western Europe that would help deter an unexpected fight against Russian forces in Eastern Europe or the Baltics.
In April, U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, head of U.S. European Command, told lawmakers he supports boosting troop levels in Europe.
"I understand the services' challenges in terms of ... resources to provide a permanently stationed brigade at this time. But I personally believe a permanently stationed armored brigade in Europe would be best,” said Scaparrotti, Europe’s supreme allied commander. The American force in Europe numbers roughly 65,000 personnel.
But, as Gorenc noted, terror threats pose more direct risks, and quick-rotational forces are just as capable of excelling and enhancing the mission.
“The reason we went to an expeditionary Air Force was to be able to use that force worldwide,” Gorenc said. “We count on those rotational forces to supplement what we do with our permanent forces, and I think the last two years have been a great demonstration of how we do that,” he said.
A multitude of aircraft theater security package rotations, which have included F-15C and A-10s, have trained for months with allies.
President Obama on Friday also announced that the United States will send about 1,000 troops to Poland in an effort to sustain a NATO rotational force.
The rotating battalions, welcomed by Polish President Andrzej Duda at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, would fall within a the terms of a 1997 U.S.-Russia treaty which mandates the U.S. cannot station permanent combat forces in Eastern Europe.
"All that being said, as a component commander inside of Europe, yeah, I’d like to have a more permanently assigned force," Gorenc said, "but the fact of the matter is, this is the force that I have, and the expeditionary force allows me to reach back and get as much force as I can prioritize."
And priorities keep changing.
It's not clear where U.S.-Russian relations will stand in the next few years, but USAFE-AFAFRICA forces are prepared to deal with the consequences of Russia’s behavior. It's expected that the demand for operations in Europe will continue to grow in tandem with high-tempo schedules across the globe.
Growing extremism, Gorenc said, from groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida in northern Africa will be time consuming for forces deploying for airlift and mobility missions or intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in the theater.
Furthermore, “one of the latest emerging things is the refugee migrant crisis that our European partners and allies are dealing with, because...some of that does consume their military forces,” he said.
But Gorenc emphasized that the safety and security of U.S. forces supporting such missions should not be neglected.
“There's lots of things going on in in NATO that are being discussed, particularly in respect to the security of our bases in Europe proper and an understanding and connection with potential threats of homegrown terrorism in and around our installations.
“The bottom line is we’re working together to make sure that we have a good dialogue going with respect to where [the U.S. and allies] have common interests and how we can help both in the NATO context and in the bilateral context,” he said.
General: Rising threats could change 'permanent force' goal in Europe
Posted from armytimes.com
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While the threat from Russia and a nuclear Iran seems to be looming over western Europe, the more pressing short term threat is posed by the disciples of radical Islam who have been exporting terrorism to Europe for decades SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
The near to overwhelming influx of refugees from north Africa and Syria included sleeper agents as well as those who are vulnerable to al Qaeda and ISIS competing messages. In addition to the threat of Islam there is also the threat of the radical right and left - these three groups particularly the radical left and radicalized Muslims pose the greatest threats to military basing and housing areas.
The near to overwhelming influx of refugees from north Africa and Syria included sleeper agents as well as those who are vulnerable to al Qaeda and ISIS competing messages. In addition to the threat of Islam there is also the threat of the radical right and left - these three groups particularly the radical left and radicalized Muslims pose the greatest threats to military basing and housing areas.
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