Amendment sought to direct the President to end the permanent basing of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2CR) in Vilseck, Germany and return the Brigade Combat Team currently stationed in Europe to the United States without permanent replacement.

1. Adds SEC. 1257. REMOVAL OF BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMS FROM EUROPE after section 1256

   Adds a section

   Inserted: SEC. 1257. REMOVAL OF BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMS FROM EUROPE.

   Inserted: (a) Finding.--Congress finds that, because defense spending among European NATO countries fell 12% since 2008, from $314 billion to $275 billion, so that currently only 4 out of the 28 NATO allies of the United States are spending the widely agreed-to standard of 2% of their GDP on defense, the United States must look to more wisely allocate scarce resources to provide for the national defense.

   Inserted: (b) Removal Required.--The President shall end the permanent basing of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2CR) in Vilseck, Germany and return that Brigade Combat Team currently stationed in Europe to the United States, without permanent replacement, leaving one Brigade Combat Team and one Combat Aviation Brigade.

   Inserted: (c) Use of Rotational Forces to Satisfy Security Needs.--It is the policy of the United States that the deployment of units of the United States Armed Forces on a rotational basis at military installations in European member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization pursuant to the Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) process is a force-structure arrangement sufficient to permit the United States--

   Inserted: (1) to satisfy the commitments undertaken by United States pursuant to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, signed at Washington, District of Columbia, on April 4, 1949, and entered into force on August 24, 1949 (63 Stat. 2241; TIAS 1964);

   Inserted: (2) to address the current security environment in Europe; and

   Inserted: (3) to contribute to peace and stability in Europe.

   Inserted: (d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed so as to require the removal of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center or to prohibit the utilization of the 82nd Airborne's Division Readiness Brigade, Marine Corps Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Teams, Marine Corps Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Marine Corps expeditionary units, Special Operations Command forces, or other quick-response forces to respond to threats in Europe and in the vicinity of the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) area.

   Original wording

   After section 1256, insert the following new section (and redesignate subsequent sections accordingly):

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As printed