WASHINGTON, June 17. /TASS/. The US has not made a final decision about a disposition of heavy weapons of a brigade in Europe, the commander of the US army in Europe, Lt-Gen Frederick "Ben" Hodges said in a telephone conversation with a TASS correspondent.
"The final decision on the location would be up to the Secretary of Defense. It could all be in Germany where we can use so we have a rotational force - a brigade of soldiers coming from the States [to Europe] for a 2-3 months period each year, it just started last year. So they could draw from the motor pool in Grafenwoehr and Mannheim," he said. However, he continued, "we also considered putting it in locations in Eastern European countries - Poland and so on, where it would be easier to conduct training with NATO allies in those countries. So, the final decision would be up to the Secretary of Defense."
The commander said the decision may be announced at NATO’s meeting of defence ministers due on June 24-25 in Brussels.
He said the equipment mentioned was "one armored brigade combat team, which includes about 250 M1 tanks, M2 Bradley fighting vehicles and Paladin howitzers - the 155 mm self-propelled howitzers. So that's 240 fighting type vehicles." He repeated several times no new equipment will be put in Europe. The equipment, which may be put in Europe, is the equipment of the brigade, which earlier had been deployed in Europe from the Fort Hood, Texas.
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