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U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Randall Reed, Third Air Force and Kaiserslautern Military Community commander, has monthly meetings with local leaders at the German-American Community Office in downtown Kaiserslautern to discuss issues of mutual interest.
Reed met with Martina Stein, the City Mayor of Otterberg, at the GACO this past March and accepted an invitation to visit her city and see how it supports the 56,000 Americans living in the KMC.
“The conversation with [Reed] was very pleasant,” Stein said. “I found it very remarkable that he took the time for the exchange, in view of the tense situation in Eastern Europe. The conversation led to him visiting Otterberg a short time later to promote our small town to the American community. For this, my heartfelt thanks.”
The KMC commander visited the 5,000-person city on April 20 to build on German-American relations and increase communication with key stakeholders in the region. Reed also took time to explore the historic village – his tour included the Otterberg Abbey Church and a virtual-reality wagon ride.
“Mayors and other public officials in Rhineland-Palatinate are taking care of our servicemembers and their families every single day,” Reed said. “Therefore, it is only natural that I speak with them about how we can continue to support each other.”
The state of Rhineland-Palatinate hosts a significant portion of the U.S. servicemembers stationed in Germany. According to Roberto da Costa, 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs host nation advisor, this adds to the importance of host-nation relations near Ramstein Air Base.
“German officials here are greatly interested in integrating Americans into their local communities, and seek close ties with military leadership to achieve this goal,” da Costa said. “The laws, legislature and community programs in RLP directly affect U.S. personnel and their families.”
