Grafenwoehr Prepares Ground for Stryker Unit
To: FOREIGN EDITORS
Contact: Robert E. DiMichele, Public Affairs Officer of USAEC, +1- 410-436-2556, Robert.DiMichele@us.army.mil
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md., June 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Training lands at the U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr, Germany, were once gradually melting away. Soil eroded by prolonged training and constant vehicle traffic diminished the environmental quality of some of these areas. These conditions made some people question whether a Stryker unit could be trained on the northeastern Bavarian installation.
But, by the time the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment (SCR), the first Stryker unit in Europe, arrived in the summer of 2006, Grafenwoehr was ready. The Environmental Division of the garrison’s Directorate of Public Works ensured their ability to train here long before the SCR arrived, according to Manfred Rieck, chief of the Environmental Division.
“To get ready for the 2nd SCR, we built 24 maintenance and 24 refueling pads throughout the training area,” said Rieck.
To build them, Grafenwoehr had to follow not only Army regulations, but German and U.S. environmental law as well.
“It’s our job to provide the technical and biological infrastructure for the performance of an effective and realistic military training in compliance with U.S. and host nation environmental laws and regulations on a day-to-day basis,” Rieck said.
The installation also had to take steps to make certain its land could sustain Stryker training for the long haul. First, the Environmental Division studied the effects of the Stryker vehicles on soil, vegetation and surface water runoff. The extensive tests and field trials indicated that the soil in areas off limits for tracked vehicles could endure Stryker training with less negative impact on the environment.
Second, the Environmental Division began several projects to manage the biggest problems: erosion and soil compaction. To keep soil from washing away in the rain or blowing away on windy days, the Environmental and Operations and Maintenance divisions, in cooperation with the trainers, moved and cut open berms, eliminating erosion bottlenecks and containing storm-water runoff. The strategic rearrangement of berms also increased maneuver space, according to Rieck.
In addition, the installation reseeded 4,000 acres of training land with a mix of native grasses. The new ground cover not only anchored the soil, it also resisted vehicle traffic better, grew faster and did not disturb threatened and endangered species.
For places where the soil was so hard grass could no longer grow, the team invented a roller with specially shaped hardened steel teeth to loosen the soil without destroying existing protective vegetation. Dragging this device behind a tractor, Grafenwoehr staff brought about 2,000 acres of land back to realistic training conditions in half the time it normally would have taken, Rieck said.
“Grafenwoehr’s aggressive environmental program is evidence that you can achieve true harmony between mission execution and environmental stewardship,” said Juan Lopez, a senior program analyst with the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive. Lopez served as a judge for the fiscal year 2006 Secretary of the Army Environmental Awards.
Grafenwoehr took the award in the Environmental Quality, Overseas Installation category, partially for its efforts in preparing for the 2nd SCR’s arrival. The unit is now at home and training at Grafenwoehr, Strykers and all.
This information is provided by USAEC. USAEC is the Army’s point organization for supporting the implementation of environmental programs that facilitate sustainable Army training and operations while protecting the environment. We provide environmental program management and technical support products and services in support of Army training operations, acquisition and sound stewardship.
“Sustaining the Environment for a Secure Future”
SOURCE U.S. Army Environmental Command
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