- Exercise Reforger
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An American M60 Patton moves through a village in West Germany as part of the 1982 Reforger exercise
Exercise Reforger (from return of forces to Germany) was an annual exercise conducted, during the Cold War, by NATO. The exercise was intended to ensure that NATO had the ability to quickly deploy forces to West Germany in the event of a conflict with the Warsaw Pact.
The Reforger exercise itself was first conceived in 1967. The Johnson administration announced plans to withdraw approximately two divisions from Europe during 1968. As a demonstration of its continuing commitment to the defense of NATO and to illustrate its capability of rapid reinforcement, a large scale force deployment was planned that would deploy a division or more to West Germany in a regular annual exercise. The first such exercise was conducted beginning on 6 January 1969. These exercises continued annually past the end of the Cold War, except for the year 1989, until 1993. Reforger 1988 was billed as the largest European ground maneuver since the end of World War II as 125,000 troops were deployed.[1]
Reforger was not merely a show of force—in the event of a conflict, it would be the actual plan to strengthen the NATO presence in Europe. In that instance, it would have been referred to as Operation Reforger. Important components in Reforger included the Military Airlift Command, the Military Sealift Command, and the Civil Reserve Air Fleet.
The US Army also increased its rapid-reinforcement capability by prepositioning huge stocks of equipment and supplies in Europe at POMCUS sites. The maintenance of this equipment has provided extensive on-the-job training to reserve-component support units.
Operation Bright Star, the annual deployment of American army and Air Force units to Egypt serves much the same purpose as Reforger did.
Reforger Exercises
Name Start Date Major Units Reforger I JAN 1969 (Germany based unit) 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment; (U.S. based unit) 24th Infantry Division (Mech) Reforger II OCT 1970 (Germany based unit) 3rd Infantry Division (Mech); (U.S. based unit) 1st Infantry Division (Mech)[2] Reforger III OCT 1971 (Germany based unit) 1st Armored Division; (U.S. based unit) 1st Infantry Division (Mech Reforger IV JAN 1972 (U.S. based unit) 2nd Armored Division Reforger V SEP 1973 (Germany based unit) 3rd Infantry Division (Mech); (U.S. based units) 1st Infantry Division (Mech), 1st Cavalry Division Reforger 74 SEP 1974 (Germany based units) 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division; (U.S. based units) 1st Infantry Division (Mech), 1st Cavalry Division Reforger 75 SEP 1975 (Germany based units) 3rd Infantry Division (Mech), 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division; (U.S. based units) 1st Infantry Division (Mech), 1st Cavalry Division Reforger 76 SEP 1976 (Germany based units) 1st Armored Division, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment; (U.S. based units) 101st Airborne, 1st Infantry Division (Mech) Reforger 77 SEP 1977 (Germany based units) 3rd Infantry Division (Mech), 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment; (U.S. based units) 1st Infantry Division (Mech), 4th Infantry Division (Mech), 1st Cavalry Division, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment Reforger 78 SEP 1978 (Germany based units) 8th Infantry Division, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment; (U.S. based units) 4th Infantry Division (Mech), 5th Infantry Division (Mech), 9th Infantry Division (Mech), 1st Cavalry Division, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment Reforger 79 JAN 1979 (Germany based units) 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division; (U.S. based units) 1st Infantry Division (Mech), 1st Cavalry Division Reforger 80 SEP 1980 (Germany based units) 3rd Infantry Division (Mech), 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division; (U.S. based units) 1st Cavalry Division Reforger 81 SEP 1981 (Germany based units) 8th Infantry Division, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division; (U.S. based units) 4th Infantry Division (Mech), 1st Cavalry Division Reforger 82 SEP 1982 (Germany based units) 3rd Infantry Division (Mech), 8th Infantry Division, 1st Armored Division; (U.S. based units) 1st Infantry Division (Mech), 1st Cavalry Division Reforger 83 SEP 1983 (Germany based units) 8th Infantry Division, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division; (U.S. based units) 1st Cavalry Division Reforger 84 SEP 1984 (Germany based units) 3rd Infantry Division (Mech), 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment; (U.S. based units) 1st Infantry Division (Mech), 5th Infantry Division , 24th Infantry Division , 30th Armored Brigade (Sep) (ARNG, Tennessee), 7th Infantry Division (Light) (3rd Brigade) Reforger 85 SEP 1985 (Germany based units) 8th Infantry Division, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division; (U.S. based units) 4th Infantry Division (mech), 5th Infantry Division (mech), 197th Infantry Brigade Reforger 86 SEP 1986 (Germany based units) 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division; (U.S. based units) 1st Infantry Division (Mech), 24th Infantry Division (mech), 30th Armored Brigade (Sep) (ARNG, Tennessee), 7th Infantry Division (Light) (3rd Brigade) Reforger 87 SEP 1987 (Germany based units) 3rd Armored Division; (U.S. based units) 1st Infantry Division (Mech), 24th Infantry Division , 30th Armored Brigade (Sep) (ARNG, Tennessee); 7th Infantry Division (Light) (3rd Brigade) Reforger 88 SEP 1988 (Germany based units) 3rd Infantry Division (Mech), 8th Infantry Division, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, Berlin Brigade; (U.S. based units) 1st Infantry Division (Mech), 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 179th Infantry Brigade (ARNG, Oklahoma) Reforger 90 - "Centurian Shield" 11 JAN 1990 to 28 JAN 1990 (Germany based units) 8th Infantry Division, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, 3rd Armored Division; (U.S. based units) 1st Infantry Division (Mech), 2nd Armored Division, 10th Mountain Division; National Guard Brigade Reforger 91 SEP 1991 (U.S. based unit) 4th Infantry Division Reforger 92 - "Certain Caravan" SEP 1992 (U.S. based units) HQ, 1st (U.S.) Infantry Division (Mech); Parts 2nd Brigade, 1st (U.S) Infantry Division (Mech); HQ, 24th Infantry Division (Mech), 30th Armored Brigade (Sep) (ARNG, Tennessee); HQ, 3rd Brigade, 7th (U.S.) Infantry Division (Light)[3] Reforger 93 MAY 1993 (Germany based units) 1st Armored Division, 3rd Infantry Division (Mech) References
- ^ The Stars and Stripes, Vol. 47, No. 147, Sept. 12, 1988
- ^ Marshall Army Airfield (MAAF). GlobalSecurity.org
- ^ Reforger 92 – Certain Caravan. M136.de
External links
Categories:- NATO military exercises
- Military history stubs
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