US garrison in Germany relaxes troop protection alert status

(Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – The U.S. Army Garrison Rhineland-Palatinate lowered its alert level Wednesday, days after bases across Europe began taking additional security precautions.

The Kaiserslautern-based garrison, which along with Ramstein Air Base is the largest U.S. military base abroad, has been placed back into “bravo-plus” force protection status, according to an alert sent to U.S. Department of Defense personnel.

The order applies to the garrison facilities in the Kaiserslautern and Baumholder areas as well as the surrounding facilities, including in Romania and Bulgaria.

The military sets protection levels to either Normal, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, or Delta, the highest alert level. Bravo was common practice on bases for many years after the September 11 attacks.

Bravo means “when there is an increased or more foreseeable threat of terrorist activity,” according to the Army. Bravo-plus means that additional security measures can be taken if necessary.

Charlie, to which the garrison and several other bases in Europe were moved on Sunday, “applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating that some form of terrorist act or attack on personnel or facilities is likely,” the Army said.

The increased alert level this week resulted in traffic delays, restrictions on some services and required some employees to telework at several facilities.

The return to Bravo+ comes as military members and their families on bases around the world prepare to celebrate U.S. Independence Day on Thursday.

This story will be updated.