Kelley Barracks (formerly ''Helenen-Kaserne'') is a U.S. military installation and headquarters of

United States Africa Command The United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM, U.S. AFRICOM, and AFRICOM), is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U ...

, and is a part of US Army Garrison Stuttgart in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

-Möhringen in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The post is administered by IMCOM- Europe.

History

World War II and the American Postwar Occupation

Located in the outer

district of Möhringen, Helenen Kaserne (the German name for the installation) officially opened May 7, 1938, housing members of the 5th Air Signal Regiment of the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

. On December 5, 1945 Helenen Kaserne became an American installation, initially part of Stuttgart Post.
The 7700th Troop Information and Education Group of the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

became the first permanently assigned unit in 1947. From 1948 to 1951 the

US Constabulary The United States Constabulary was a United States Army military gendarmerie force. From 1946 to 1952, in the aftermath of World War II, it acted as an occupation and security force in the U.S. Occupation Zone of West Germany and Austria. Reas ...

occupied the post.

Cold War and Gulf War

In November 1951, Helenen Kaserne became the headquarters of the reactivated

VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII ...

. In September 1949 Helenen Kaserne was renamed by Brigadier General Arnold J. Funk to the Kelley Barracks in honor of Staff Sergeant Jonah E. Kelley, of the 78th Infantry Division, who was posthumously awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for actions occurring at Kesternich, Germany in January 1945 during the Second Battle of Kesternich. From 1951 until the headquarters deactivated in 1992 (following its return from the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

was headquartered at the base. In remembrance of the 41-year history of

at Kelley during the Cold War and Gulf War, an

M4 Sherman } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It ...

tank and a Gulf War era

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development of the T-64, which was troubled by high costs and its reliance on immature developmental technology. About 25,000 T-72 tanks ha ...

Iraqi tank flank the main flagpole along with the seal of

on the main street (Oak Street) of the installation. The tanks were removed in 2018. A segment of the Berlin Wall is also displayed as a memorial. U.S. Africa Command HQ. The 602nd Air Support Operations Group of the United States Air Force was stationed at Kelley Barracks in support of the VII Corps HQ and subordinate units until the inactivation of VII Corps in 1992.

1992 to present

Following the large drawdown of US forces after the Cold War and Gulf War, Kelley was used as headquarters for the 6th ASG (Area Support Group), now US Army Garrison-Stuttgart. An 8-story Guest house was opened in 2001 to house transient personnel and visitors to the Stuttgart Military Community. In February 2007, Kelley Barracks was designated to house the Transition Team of

and became the permanent headquarters when the command was activated on October 1, 2008. Kelley Barracks was scheduled to close in 2009, but the Army has spent hundreds of millions of dollars upgrading the base for Africa Command, while telling Congress that it is just a temporary home. In February 2013, the Pentagon announced that AFRICOM will remain in Germany, ending efforts to relocate the command to the United States. Due to heightened security at all installations, the Main Entrance Gate - used since opening in 1938 - is being replaced to conform to current force protection standards. It currently employs approximately 1,700 soldiers, US civil service, local nationals and contractors.

Base services

Recreation and shopping

Kelley has a

commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

but lacks a post exchange; the main

AAFES The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES, also referred to as The Exchange and The PX or The BX) is the retailer in U.S. Army and Air Force installations worldwide. The Exchange is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and its director/chief exe ...

Exchange is located nearby at

Panzer Kaserne Panzer Kaserne (German notation: Panzerkaserne) is a U.S. military installation in Böblingen, Germany, part of U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart. The post is administered by U.S. Army Installation Management Command-Europe (IMCOM-Europe), a legac ...

. The installation hosts a variety of athletic facilities, a theater and recreation center. Kelley is located near the SI-Centrum entertainment complex which offers a wide variety of entertainment.

Education and childcare

Dependent children housed at Kelley must leave the installation for school as Kelley is the only installation in the Stuttgart Military Community lacking

DODEA The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behal ...

schools. The US DODEA operates Elementary schools at nearby

Robinson Barracks Robinson may refer to: People and names * Robinson (name) Fictional characters * Robinson Crusoe, the main character, and title of a novel by Daniel Defoe, published in 1719 Geography * Robinson projection, a map projection used since the 1960 ...

Patch Barracks Patch Barracks is a U.S. military installation in Stuttgart, Germany. It is named after U.S. Army General Alexander M. Patch (1889–1945). History Patch Barracks was renamed from the German ''Kurmärker Kaserne'' in 1952; it was originally ...

and

. Alexander M. Patch American High School is located at

and the International School of Stuttgart is located nearby. MWR Stuttgart Family Child Care operates daycare services on Kelley.

Medical care

A small Clinic annex operates with limited services for eligible personnel.

Kelley Hotel

Kelley Hotel is a 68-room hotel on post at Kelley Barracks. Like other DoD hotels, Kelley Hotel has many amenities.

Transit

The

Stuttgart Stadtbahn The Stuttgart Stadtbahn is a light rail system in Stuttgart, Germany. The Stadtbahn began service on 28 September 1985. It is operated by the Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG (SSB), which also operates the bus systems in that city. The Stuttgar ...

has a station nearby (Landhaus) allowing residents easy access to the public transit system. Bus stops are near both the North and South gates of the installation.

References

External links

Kelley Barracks Commissary

Kelly Hotel

Stuttgart VVS Map of Public Transit in the Kelley Barracks area

Kelley Barracks Travel Buddy Page (Memorial errantly ascribed to VII Army)

Jonah Edward Kelley Family Website
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