February 6, 2014
Vol. 43, No. 03
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Garrison holds leader summit for sexual assault prevention U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Public Affairs Office
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ore than 30 leaders representing all branches of service from military units operating across the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart footprint gathered Jan. 22 in the Swabian Special Events Center at Patch Barracks for a garrisonsponsored Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention Program Leader Summit. Sessions included presentations and
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Construction cranes and heavy equipment dominate the landscape surrounding the construction site of the future Stuttgart Elementary School and Stuttgart High School in Böblingen. DODEA launched a military construction initiative in October 2010 that is expected to run through fiscal year 2019. Europe’s portion includes more than 40 projects, worth $1.8 billion in Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Turkey.
lectures on sexual assault investigations, the Special Victims Unit, legal processes forensics, evidence collection, bystander intervention and leader emphasis. In his opening remarks, the garrison commander, Col. John P. Stack, spoke about the importance of leadership and commitment to combat sexual assault in the professional military workplace. “Part of the price of leadership is figuring out how to solve this problem,” Stack said.
See Leader summit on page 4
Gunner Saunders
USACE, DODDS take aim at aging schools in Europe By Vince Little U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District Public Affairs
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‘Arms race’
S. J. Grady
More than 80 competitors from across Europe met Jan. 25 in the Patch Fitness Center for Family and MWR-sponsored Pulling Stuttgart arm wrestling tournament. [Photo top] Anna Byrnes (left), a contractor with AFRICOM, competes against Joanne Berberich of Frankfurt in the women’s category. [Photo above] Alec Ross, assigned to Special Operations Command Africa, gives it everything he’s got during a match in the Men’s Novice 177-198 pound left-handed class.
epartment of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Europe District are engaged in a robust military construction program designed to revitalize dilapidated schoolhouses, some of which were built in the post-World War II era. It’s part of a multibillion-dollar effort by the Department of Defense Education Activity, or DODEA, to replace or renovate more than 130 schools worldwide based on age or failing conditions. The vision is to align 21st-century instruction and learning concepts with state-of-the-art facilities that maximize energy and sustainability features while giving military children the best possible opportunities during their intellectual growth, officials say. Units, agencies and organizations
throughout the DOD face rapidly changing strategic and fiscal realities. However, the need for new schools at a time of budget uncertainty boils down to upkeep, said Jose Tovar, the Defense Dependents Schools, or DODDSEurope facilities manager. “Maintenance requires a lot of investment — many of our assets date to the 1940s and ‘50s. The infrastructure has deteriorated, and costs are high,” he said. “Broken walls, chipped paint, aging classrooms, and old heating and cooling systems are not conducive to good learning environments. It’s more cost effective to replace it than fix it.” In 2008, DODEA submitted a report to Congress on the condition of its facilities worldwide. Tovar said DODEA now conducts those assessments every three years, and they serve as the basis for what’s being done to refurbish old schools or build new ones.
See Aging schools on page 4