WIESBADEN, Germany — The chance of another extension for 1st Armored Division troops in Iraq is slim but not entirely out of the question, Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday.
“… In the security business, never say never,” Myers said in brief news conference after visiting Germany-based 1st AD families. “Security’s too much of an important issue. But, the likelihood of [an extension] is very, very small.”
Originally scheduled to return from Iraq in April, the 1st Armored Division was extended an additional 90 days downrange.
Myers offered his support to the families before returning stateside from last weekend’s D-Day commemoration events in Normandy, France.
He stopped Monday in the 1st AD communities of Baumholder and Wiesbaden, headquarters of the division. Family members from Giessen and Hanau, also in the 1st AD footprint, attended the meeting in Wiesbaden, according to Hilde Patton, V Corps spokeswoman.
The meetings were closed to the media.
Paralleling the commitment of the D-Day veterans he met last weekend to that of 1st Armored Division troops’ and their families, Myers said, “After today’s meetings, I am even more impressed with the spirit and resolve of today’s military families.”
A recent New York Times article reported that the Pentagon has recommended the move of the 1st AD and 1st Infantry Division back to the United States, which Myers said he was unable to comment on.
“No decisions have been made,” Myers said. “There has to be lots of dialogue between the countries involved before decisions like that are made.”
“We want to make sure where we are postured in the future is where U.S. forces are wanted,” said Myers, adding that German forces also are reconsidering their force alignment.
