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FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The ornate Swabian Activity Center at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, provided a stately backdrop for the Special Operation Forces Move to Baum-holder Re-hearsal of Con-cept drill. More than 100 personnel representing 17 Department of Defense or-ga-ni-za-tions gathered to rehearse the 1st Bat-talion, 10th Special Forces Group- Air-borne move from Stutt-gart to Baum-holder, scheduled for completion by Oct. 1, 2026.
This relocation supports several key objectives:
- Optimizing the posture of Special Operations Forces in Europe.
- Enhancing training opportunities for 1-10th SFG(A).
- Providing closer proximity to the dedicated military airfield at Ramstein.
- Alleviating overcrowding at United States Army Garrison-Stuttgart.
“We appreciate the dedication of the entire team, including U.S. Army Europe, IMCOM, and SOCOM, that has been working hard for years to ensure that Baumholder is prepared to receive the more than 1,000 special ope-rations forces and their fa–mi–lies,” said Colonel Ned Marsh, SOCEUR-DCO-Sup–port. “The ROC drill de-mon-stra-ted com-mitment from all parties to prioritize our service members and families balanced with mis-sion readiness.”
Participants re-pre-sent-ed a cross-sec-tion of the SOF en-ter-prise, in-clu-ding Special Ope-rations Com-mand, U.S. Army Special Operations Com-mand, 1st Special Forces Com-mand, Special Operations Com-mand-Europe, and 1-10 SFG (A). Supporting agencies included U.S. Army Europe-Africa, U.S. Army Instal-lation Ma-nage-ment Com–mand-Eu-rope, 21st Theater Sus-tain-ment Com-mand, 16th Sustainment Brigade, 405th Army Field Ser-vice Brigade, and U.S. Army Gar-risons Stutt-gart and Rhein-land Pfalz.
The three-day event focused on synchronizing mission-critical activities for the on-time relocation of personnel, equipment, and families. Utilizing a time-phased approach, operational planning representatives and stakeholders provided updates on key tasks, requirements, and timelines for each operational phase. Over 30 topics were reviewed and discussed.
Key highlights of the ROC Drill included:
Garrison Housing and Faci-li-ties: Participants ad-dressed potential chal-lenges posed by construction delays in Baum-holder and local housing shortages. With over $1 billion in renovations underway for housing, facilities, schools, and lodging, Smith Barracks in Baumholder is being prepared to ac-com-mo-date the in-flux of Soldiers and families.
Training Areas and Ranges: Con-struc-tion delays and re-ser-va-tion re-quire-ments for Baum-holder’s train-ing ranges necessitate mitigation strategies to meet 1-10 SFG(A) operational require-ments. A breakout session focused on developing a strategy to engage senior leaders on the potential impact of training area shortfalls.
The ROC drill successfully identified potential friction points and resource gaps requiring resolution or mitigation strategies ahead of the 2026 move. It also provided 1-10 SFG(A) a valuable opportunity to rehearse its relocation plan, incorporating the Enter-prise’s established require-ments and constraints. Parti-cipa-ting senior leaders praised 1-10 SFG(A)’s detailed relocation plan, recognizing it as a testament to sound Army doctrine and a blueprint for a successful transition.
These ongoing im-prove-ments and modernizations will benefit the entire Baumholder military com-munity and ensure that BH will be seen as a premier assignment for Soldiers and their families stationed overseas.
