(See list of changes at end of story)

HEIDELBERG, Germany — A year from now, part of the 1st Armored Division will be Texas-bound, the 3rd Corps Support Command will head to Kentucky, a centralized combat aviation brigade will be created in Germany, and some engineers who were once known as “topo guys” will become “geospatial planners.”

U.S. Army Europe’s transformation and rebasing plan for 2007 was announced Thursday. It will affect some 12,500 soldiers, an estimated 18,750 family members and nearly 1,100 civilian workers in Germany as the Army vastly reduces the number of U.S. troops and standardizes, modernizes, reorganizes and renames its units worldwide.

Unlike the first round of transformation a year ago that focused on returning the 1st Infantry Division to the U.S., the plan for 2007 takes more of a diverse approach. It returns the 1st AD’s 1st Brigade Combat Team — now in Iraq — to the U.S., but leaves the 2nd BCT — also in Iraq — in place for now. It encompasses changes in logistics, aviation and engineering units, and how combat service support units are configured. The plan moves five units, while converting 21 and inactivating 25.

Additionally, three signal units in Darmstadt will inactivate, along with a military intelligence battalion there.

The moves are expected to begin in June 2007.

“Last year, it was … a big focus on the Big Red 1,” said Bill Chesarek, USAREUR’s global rebasing and restructuring division chief. “This year, you could say we’re starting on the 1st AD. Friedberg is the best place to start.”

The home for years of the 1st AD’s 1st Brigade, Friedberg and Giessen will see what once were 3,500 soldiers become none. Barracks, training areas, housing areas, depots, distribution centers and other military facilities are scheduled to close, but instead of closing in 2007, as previously announced, most are now scheduled to close in 2008.

The area’s facilities were going to be closed even before it was announced that two Germany-based heavy divisions would return to the U.S. — because of unsuitable training areas, Chesarek said. And since then, “We haven’t upgraded anything. We’ve just done maintenance,” he said. “So it made sense to send them (back to the States) instead of one of the other brigades.”

Three major factors are driving the timing of which USAREUR units go where and on what timeline, Chesarek said: current missions in Iraq and Afghanistan; the worldwide rebasing and restructuring plan, including the availability of new facilities; and “minimizing turbulence” for soldiers and families affected.

Chesarek said the 2007 moves and changes should have minimal impact on most individual soldiers, who will be dispersed in large numbers through normal Army processes such as retirements, changes of station and enlistment terms ending.

“They’ll really, really draw down (before a unit moves or inactivates) and most will go to individual assignments,” he said. “Some will PCS. Some will go to school.”

All soldiers now deployed to Iraq and scheduled to return to the U.S. will do so after first coming back to Germany, Chesarek said, and will make the move with their families.

Having soldiers return stateside directly from Iraq has been ruled out once and for all, he said. “Maybe it would have been a little cheaper, I don’t know. But as a morale issue — not so good,” he said.

Besides the 1st BCT’s move to Fort Bliss, Texas, Chesarek said, the plan reflects changes in how the Army will operate and how units are being “modularized” to make them more standardized, interchangeable and self-sufficient.

The 3rd COSCOM headquarters — also currently in Iraq — is moving to Fort Knox, Ky., for example, with some of its subordinate units being disbanded, while others will become part of a USAREUR-wide command that will assume all theater sustainment duties.

Similarly, what was an aviation brigade will become the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, and pieces of two engineering brigades will be molded into one “engineer theater enabling command,” according to the plan.

Among that group will be a unit called the “Geospatial Planning Cell,” which will provide complex maps and battlefield overlays. It was formerly known as the 60th Engineer Detachment, located in Schwetzingen.

“Us old-fashioned guys would call them ‘topo guys,’” Chesarek said, for “topography.”

But because of the use of satellite imagery and other technological advances, the old designation deserved an update, he said.

The transformation and rebasing plan is supposed to, over about eight years, reduce what were 62,000 U.S. soldiers stationed in Europe to 28,000 (4,000 more than previously estimated because some of the modularized units are larger than their predecessors), and to concentrate them in several hubs.

Part of the 2007 plan addresses new construction at the hubs, such as Grafenwöhr, Kaiserslautern and Wiesbaden. Col. Roger Gerber, global rebasing and restructuring division deputy chief, said his office had requested $517 million to get started on those projects.

“We expect this is fully funded and we’ll execute it,” Chesarek said. “This is what we think we can do next year, given all the things we know about.”

Who's going ...U.S. Army Europe officials announced Thursday that several units will either leave Europe or deactivate entirely during fiscal year 07. A look at the units and the number of troops affected:

Leaving EuropeFriedberg

1^st Battalion, 36^th Infantry Regiment — 7021^st Battalion, 37^th Armor Regiment — 5042^nd Battalion, 37^th Armor Regiment — 504501^st Forward Support Battalion — 431HHC, 1^st Brigade — 86

Troop F, 1^st Squadron, 1^st Cavalry Regiment — 51

Giessen

2^nd Battalion, 3^rd Field Artillery Regiment — 593

16^th Engineer Battalion — 418

Grafenwöhr

Company D, 3^rd Battalion, 58^th Air Traffic Services — 101

Hanau

HHC, 130^th Engineer Brigade — 99

Kaiserslautern

64^th Medical Detachment (Veterinary) — 61

51^st Medical Detachment (Veterinary) — 13

Rotterdam

623^rd Movement Control Team (Area) — 18

Wackernheim

Company A, 501^st Military Intelligence Battalion — 59

Wiesbaden

HHC, 3^rd Corps Support Command — 266

Company A, 141^st Signal Battalion — 140

Würzburg

72^nd Medical Detachment (Veterinary) — 61

InactivatingBabenhausen

77^th Maintenance Company — 310

Bamberg

71^st Corps Support Battalion — 57

634^th Movement Control Team — 7

Butzbach

Army Health Clinic — 24

Darmstadt

32^nd Signal Battalion — 550

440^th Signal Battalion — 466

HHC, 22^nd Signal Battalion — 190

Company C, 165^th Military Intelligence Battalion — 158

Friedberg

Det. C, 55^th Personnel Services Battalion — 50

Army Health Clinic — 22

Army Dental Clinic — 10

Giessen

Army Dental Clinic — 7

Hanau

HHC, 16^th Corps Support Group — 121

26^th Supply Company — 117

320^th Engineer Company (TOPO) — 109

HHD, 485th Corps Support Battalion — 57

626^th Movement Control Team — 13

633^rd Movement Control Team — 7

Heidelberg

HHB, V Corps Artillery — 193

93^rd Medical Battalion (Dental) — 12

Illesheim/Ansbach

147^th Ordnance Company — 215

Kaiserslautern

1^st Transportation Movement Control Agency — 76

Mannheim

HHD, 181^st Transportation Battalion — 49

260^th Transportation Company — 23

HHC, 2^nd Battalion, 502^nd Aviation Inter. Maint. — 20

Wiesbaden

19^th Material Maintenance Command — 296

159^th Air Ambulance Company — 123

27^th Movement Control Battalion — 58

619^{th —} Movement Control Team — 18

Würzburg

67^th Combat Support Hospital — 397

HHC, 3^rd Battalion, 58^th Air Traffic Services — 101

RelocatingGiessen

527^th Military Police Company (moving to Hohenfels) — 75

HHD, Division Engineers, 1^st Armored Division (moving to Wiesbaden) — 60

Detachment C, 39^th Finance Battalion (moving to Bamberg) — 27

Mannheim

515^th Transportation Company (POL) (moving to Grafenwöhr) — 173

Converting to other unitsBamberg

54^th Engineer Battalion — 444

317^th Maintenance Company — 253

7^th Corps Support Group — 121

240^th Quartermaster Company — 115

627^th Movement Control Team (Area) — 13

Grafenwöhr

535^th Engineer Company — 159

HHC, 18^th Corps Support Battalion — 57

702^nd Ordnance Company — 22

Heidelberg

HHC, 18^th Engineer Brigade — 117

Kaiserslautern

5^th Maintenance Company — 247

HHC, 21^st Theater Support Command — 211

HHD, 200^th Material Management Center — 103

HHD, 37^th Transportation Group — 73

39^th Movement Control Battalion — 57

HHC, 191^st Combat Services Support Battalion — 50

624^th Movement Control Team (Port) — 18

Katterbach

3^rd Battalion, 158^th Assault Regiment — 334

HHC, Aviation Brigade 1^st Infantry Division — 113

Mannheim

574^th Supply Company — 115

720^th Ordnance Company — 22

Miesau

212^th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital — 133

Schwetzingen

60^th Engineer Detachment — 10

Wiesbaden

1^st Battalion, 214^th Aviation Regiment — 199

Company C, 3^rd Battalion, 58^th Air Traffic Services — 59

635^th Movement Control Team (Reg) — 16

Change to non-deployable unitBelgium

79^th Medical Detachment (Veterinary) — 7

Heidelberg

100^th Medical Battalion (Veterinary) — 3

Hohenfels

21^st Medical Detachment (Veterinary) — 7

Other actionGrafenwöhr

529^th Ordnance Company – reflagging as 23^rd Ordnance Company.

Illesheim/Ansbach

2^nd Squadron, 6 Cavalry Regiment – redesignating as 3^rd Battalion, 159^th Attack Regiment. Soldiers affected: 341.

6^th Squadron, 6^th Cavalry Regiment – redesignating as 2^nd Battalion, 159^th Attack Regiment. Soldiers affected: 341.

Katterbach

2^nd Battalion, 1^st Aviation Regiment – redesignating as 5^th Battalion, 158^th Aviation General Support Regiment. Soldiers affected: 264.

Company F, 159^th Aviation Regiment – redesignating as Company B, 5^th Battalion, 158^th Aviation Regiment. Soldiers affected: 226.

601^st Division Aviation Support Battalion – redesignating as 412^th Aviation Support Battalion. Soldiers affected: 472.

45^th Air Ambulance Company – reflagging as Company C, 5^th Battalion, 158^th Aviation General Support. Soldiers affected: 123.

Landstuhl

236^th Air Ambulance Company – redesignating as Company C, 1^st Battalion, 214st Aviation General Support Regiment. Soldiers affected: 123.

Miesau

23^rd Ordnance Company (Ammo) moving to Grafenwöhr. Soldiers affected: 162.

Migrated