Photo By Markus Rauchenberger | Representatives of the French Ministry of Defense (MoD) visit the 7th Army Joint...... read more read more
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GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -- Representatives of the French Ministry of Defense visited the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command at Grafenwoehr, Germany, Nov. 17-19, 2015 to discuss Sustainable Training Area Management.
The French MoD, in partnership with several non-governmental organizations, is implementing biodiversity projects in support of Natura 2000 at 4 training sites in the Southeast of France, according to Capt. Heloise, a French public affairs officer.
"It is a very important project because it is the first of its kind, the first project for the French Ministry of Defense working so closely with the French Environmental Conservatory," said Heloise.
Objectives of the project are to carry out the restoration and conservation of habitats and sensitive species as well as integrating conservation in the management and use of military sites, according to project literature.
"French soldiers are very environmentally conscious and consider the impact of training on nature in all missions. This includes our foreign operations as well," said Heloise.
The French delegation came to learn how the United States Army in Europe (USAREUR) manages training areas to meet training requirements and sustain biodiversity. The site visit informed the French representatives about the USAREUR Sustainable Range Program (SRP) components and a wide variety of land management best practices.
The distinguished visitors were greeted by Col. William Lindner, the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command chief of staff, who presented them with a short command video and an informational brief highlighting the capabilities of the training command as well as multinational exercises that occur in Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels.
"This organization is unique across the entire U.S. Army in that we host every aspect of training under one unified command. We train U.S. forces as well as NATO partners and Allies. We want to make sure we meet training requirements without permanently damaging the environment," said Lindner.
Representatives from the German Federal Forestry office, Garrison Environmental Division, Integrated Training Area Management and Range Control explained the steps taken before, during and after each training area is used.
The visit included tours of a variety of ranges throughout Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels.
"It was a pleasure to visit this military installation. This was my first visit and it was well organized and we felt very welcomed," said Perrine, a biodiversity specialist for the Conservation of Natural Areas organization. "We learned a lot and discovered other ways to manage our environment along with the military training."
"This Installation was very impressive, it is a complete and global training area," said Lt. Col. Gaitan, an officer responsible for French training areas. "Unlike our training areas in France, you have everything you need in one place."
For more information about the U.S. Army's Sustainable Range Program go to https://srp.usareur.army.mil/ or https://srp.army.mil/.
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.19.2016 03:30 |
| Story ID: | 195738 |
| Location: | GRAFENWOEHR, BAYERN, DE |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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