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 ...

, and is a part of US Army Garrison Stuttgart in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

-Möhringen in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. 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, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

. 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 primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

became the first permanently assigned unit in 1947. From 1948 to 1951 the US Constabulary occupied the post.

Cold War and Gulf War

In November 1951, Helenen Kaserne became the headquarters of the reactivated VII Corps. 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 Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

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 , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

), VII Corps was headquartered at the base. In remembrance of the 41-year history of VII Corps at Kelley during the Cold War and Gulf War, an

M4 Sherman The M4 Sherman, officially medium tank, M4, was the medium tank most widely used 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. I ...

tank and a Gulf War era

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet Union, Soviet main battle tanks that entered production in 1973. The T-72 was a development based on the T-64 using thought and design of the previous Object 167M. About 25,000 T-72 tanks have been built, and refu ...

Iraqi tank flank the main flagpole along with the seal of VII Corps 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 Exchange is located nearby at Panzer Kaserne. 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 schools. The US DODEA operates Elementary schools at nearby Robinson Barracks, Patch Barracks and Panzer Kaserne. The US DODEA also operates one middle school Patch Middle School which is located on Patch Barracks which used to be the old Alexander M. Patch High School before it closed in June of 2015. The current high school opened in late 2015 named Stuttgart High School which is located on Panzer Kaserne. There is another school called International School of Stuttgart that 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 semi-metro 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 Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG#Bus system ...

(U-Bahn) has a station nearby (Landhaus) as well as bus stations at the north and south entrances to the post, allowing residents easy access to the public transit system.

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
{{United States Army Europe and Africa Military installations of the United States in Germany Buildings and structures in Stuttgart Barracks of the United States Army in Germany United States military in Stuttgart