The Army redirected troops to keep Grafenwoehr visibly occupied and justify its funding

Evidence

I mentioned to another U.S. military official in Italy that a cynic might say the Army never intended to consolidate the 173rd brigade in Vicenza in the first place and had merely used the idea of consolidation as a pretext to secure congressional funding for the new base at Dal Molin. … “I don’t disagree that that optic is there,” that official (who also asked to not be named) replied. He suggested, though, that the change in plans may have been motivated by a desire to hang on to the Army’s “crown jewel” in Europe, the more than 57,000-acre Grafenwoehr training area. New troop reductions at Grafenwoehr meant that there was going to be a lot of extra room there, and perhaps the Army felt a need to make conspicuous use of that space, especially since Congress had invested more than $700 million there since 2000. Placing part of the 173rd brigade in Grafenwoehr accomplished that goal. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 767

Categorization

• QUESTION: Vine never verifies this official’s hypothesis with documents — openness to look for Army internal correspondence about Grafenwoehr utilization concerns.