TOWER BARRACKS, Germany -- A forest of utility poles sprouts from freshly levelled ground. Soon, new buildings will take shape on the wide expanse with a bustle of construction activity.
Early signs of construction for the Operational Readiness Training Complex are becoming more visible each day at Grafenwoehr, Germany. As of April, utility lines have been laid and roads have been paved, outlining the first of many phases in a multi-year construction schedule. The ORTC will ultimately support a full brigade of Soldiers and equipment, meeting operational mission requirements and serving as a deterrent to adversaries while enhancing quality of life.
Later this year, this infrastructure backbone will be complete and facility construction for the first two of seven battalions will begin. The facilities for these first two battalions will include two battalion headquarters, two company headquarters, two vehicle maintenance facilities with organizational parking, two officer’s quarters, four barracks, and a dining facility along with all supporting facilities. This work is expected to be completed by February 2029.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District, is managing delivery of the ORTC project in collaboration with U.S. Army Europe and Africa, U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, and German construction partners.
“The ORTC will create a compact centralized campus to support the transient training populations that rotate through USAG Bavaria for training, ranges, and maneuver,” said Europe District ORTC Program Manager Erasmo Rivera. “This project enables U.S. forces to meet operational mission requirements while enhancing the quality of life for our Soldiers and fortifying readiness and resiliency by providing the new, modern facilities.”
He added that the site also facilitates easy access to the training fields already at Grafenwoehr.
The ORTC facilities are intended to replace the dated facilities in use now at Camp Aachen, Camp Normandy, Camp Algier and Camp Kasserine.
“This will be a marked improvement over the old 50s-era buildings that the rotational units are currently staying in,” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District Grafenwoehr Resident Engineer Jonathan Byrd said. “The current facilities are old, undersized, and have issues. This facility will modernize where the warfighters live and work as they become a force projection platform for European operations.”
When it is completely done, the ORTC will include a brigade headquarters, seven battalion headquarters, seven company headquarters, seven officer’s quarters, 14 barracks buildings, three dining facilities, seven vehicle maintenance facilities, and organizational parking. These facilities will eventually accommodate up to 5,000 soldiers belonging to forces rotating through USAG Bavaria.
A tremendous amount of collaborative planning has gone into the development of the ORTC to maximize efficiency and effectiveness of the site as well as quality of life for deployed troops using the facilities.
“As the ORTC Program Manager, I recognize that success is driven by teamwork and strong partnerships with our stakeholders and I am honored to work alongside our Host Nation partners, stakeholders and the Europe District team,” Rivera said. “This collaborative effort reflects the strength of our commitment to excellence and mission success. Together we are building facilities that enhance quality of life for our soldiers, fortifies readiness and resiliency for USAG Bavaria.”
In the long term, Europe District will be delivering three ORTC campuses to Grafenwoehr, each with the capacity to support a brigade, ensuring U.S. forces deploying across the region and the globe remain lethal and ready to deter adversaries.