The Army’s top commander in Europe would like to see an aviation brigade stationed there. “I would prefer an aviation brigade that lived in Europe versus rotational,” Lt. Gen Ben Hodges said, according to the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA).
Such a move would offer significant advantages, Hodges believes. The brigade would be able to train in an environment unavailable stateside, he told AUSA.
Hodges would like for rotations of aviation brigades to Europe continue as well. Stateside training affords the availability of support and maintenance crews at Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Campbell, Ky., for example. Hodges realizes, however, that given the operations tempo in Europe and the Army’s manpower-shortage issues, continuous placement of an aviation brigade would be expensive.