http://www.heise.de/tp/foren/go.shtml?read=1&msg_id=5883835&forum_id=58367
[...]
Battalion and brigade maneuver training and peacekeeping training are
conducted at Hohenfels. Seven battalion task forces trained in
October and November 1996 before deploying to Operation Joint
Endeavor in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and between October 1995 and October
1997 nearly 29,000 soldiers received Individual Readiness Training
for OJE. In fiscal year 1997 more than 43,000 soldiers completed
regular training rotations and IRT.
The 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division soldiers who took over the
mission of Task Force Falcon in late 2000 didn’t have to go to Kosovo
for a realistic preview of what they’ll encounter there. Kosovo came
to them. Hohenfels’ Combat Maneuver Training Center was made to
replicate Kosovo for an extensive 17-day mission rehearsal exercise
that immerses about 5,000 soldiers in virtually every scenario they
might encounter in Kosovo. The exercise was similar to the training
begun in 1999 for all units bound for Kosovo. Combat Maneuver
Training Center observer-controllers monitor the soldiers on each of
the peacekeeping tasks they might perform and point out which ones
they did correctly — and incorrectly. Then, the soldiers perform the
task again.
Civilians on the Battlefield, or COBs -- "Pronounce it 'cob' as in
'mob,'" -- have been used at CMTC since the early 1990s to portray
civilian ethnic groups and organizations that Army units might
encounter when deployed. The COB's mission is to add realism to
situations where units might have to deal with civilian populations
while conducting military operations. The majority of COB employees
are retired Army personnel, many with combat experience. One member
is an ex-Navy SEAL. All speak a second language, and they can draw on
other skills to confuse or mislead even the most highly trained
units.
As a result, units rotating through training at CMTC encounter some
tough scenarios, including dealing with "thieves" entering their base
camp, "snipers" hiding among the population, angry mobs and
bomb-toting "terrorists." Soldiers and observer/controllers at CMTC
refer to the DA civilians as "professional" COBs, or "pro-COBs." To
assist in populating the CMTC "battlefield," pro-COBs are often
augmented with soldiers from other units or from visiting reserve
component units. The augmentees receive role-playing instruction,
rules of engagement and civilian or military clothing, and then
occupy the six urban-warfare training "villages" spread throughout
the 40,000-acre maneuver-training area and extended training area at
CMTC.
[..]
In 1998 the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division noted that it was
consistently unable to train to standard due to severe maneuver
restrictions at Friedberg Training Area. This prompted the 7th ATC to
explore options for increasing maneuver space at Friedberg, and at
Schweinfurt Training Areas.
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http://www.heise.de/tp/deutsch/inhalt/co/17443/1.html
Die Folterbrigade.
[...]
Terroristen in Uniform einen sicheren Hafen zu bieten, von dem aus
sie folternd und mordend in die Welt ziehen oder sich von ihren Taten
erholen - just in jener alten Kurstadt, in dem Joschka Fischer als
friedensbewegter Turnschuhfreak seine Ministerkarriere begann -,
diese verfassungswidrigen Handlungen erfordern von einem deutschen
Außenminister mehr als nur moderates "Entsetzen". Eine umgehende
Verweigerung der Überflugsrechte wäre das Mindeste. Dass gerade die
Deutschen besonders empfindlich und gesetzestreu sind, wenn es um
Lager und Kriegsverbrechen geht, würde - außer den Bush-Barbaren -
wohl alle Welt verstehen...
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1st Armored Division war in Abu Ghraib tätig