Defense official urges new military construction in Europe

The U.S. commander in Europe Friday said he needs additional military construction funding, particularly for Defense Department schools and family housing, and warned that the poor condition of the schools could become a readiness issue.

Army Gen. Bantz Craddock, the Supreme Allied Commander-Europe, also endorsed recommendations by a special Pentagon commission on the need to retain nuclear weapons there, and said the NATO allies are awaiting the Obama administration with "expectation and anxiousness."

Funding for facilities in Europe has been constrained for years because of the deep reduction in U.S. forces since the end of the Cold War.

But Craddock said the U.S. command needs to retain four Army brigades, instead of cutting to two as has been proposed, and needs to retain current Air Force and Navy force levels. He said the command has not met the new standard for single-soldier barracks, but the Army has committed the money, and he has an unfunded requirement for family housing improvements.

But the biggest concern, Craddock said, was poor condition of the schools for military dependents. Many of the school buildings "are all far older than any of us," the general told a defense writers breakfast.

"We have got to invest some money to provide adequate facilities. If we don't do it, it becomes a readiness problem," because families will stay in the United States, which can affect the morale and retention of the service members. He estimated he needed an additional $300 million to $400 million a year.

Asked about the recommendation on nuclear capabilities from the panel led by former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger, Craddock said, "the fact is there is strategic need and advantage for nuclear weapons ... The alliance has made the decision to have them. There has been no debate to retrograde them out" and "they are safe and secure." As for the panel's statement that some U.S. officers have advocated "unilateral" removal of the nuclear weapons, Craddock observed: "That's not the way the alliance works." Discussion and decisions "are based on consensus."