Patch Barracks
Patch Barracks is a well-known US military installation in Stuttgart-Vaihingen in Germany. It is named after Alexander M. Patch.
Patch Barracks was renamed from the German Kurmärker Kaserne in 1952; it was originally built for use by the German Army Wehrmacht in 1936/37. During World War II, it served as the headquarters and barracks for the Wehrmacht's 7th Panzer Regiment with associated unit shooting ranges and training areas located at the nearby Panzer Kaserne (literally "tank barracks"). After the Second World War, Kurmärker Kaserne was temporarily occupied by French colonial troops. Subsequently, American troops took over the facility.
Today, Patch Barracks is home to
- NSA/CSS Representative Europe office (NCEUR)
- The US European Command (EUCOM) and is the headquarters for US armed forces in Europe & Northern Asia.
- The center for the Special Operations Command, Europe (SOCEUR), which commands all US Special Operations Forces units in Europe.
- Defense Information Systems Agency
- Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization
Patch Barracks was visible from a distance due to the 314-foot (96 m) high steel framework radio tower located on the premises. The tower was dismantled in May 2009.
Local facilities include Patch High School, a DoDEA school for armed forces and civilian dependants.
Recent changes at Patch Barracks included relocating the main PX to nearby Panzer Kaserne in 2007. The move was necessitated by a lack of parking for both EUCOM staff and the PX shoppers. Other recent activity includes renovations to the housing on base. Most renovations are complete, but has been a slow process due to high occupancy.
See also
External links
- US European Command
- Home page of the US Army Garrison Stuttgart
- General Information about the Stuttgart Military Community
- Official Stuttgart Military Community Newspaper
- Installation Guide for the Stuttgart Military Community
- Stuttgart Community Spouses Club
- Stuttgart Subjects at Toytown Germany- an English-language community website for Germany.
- Patch Barracks on GlobalSecurity.org