"[1] U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria is the largest U.S. base outside of the United States and hosts 40,000 soldiers and civilians.

The garrison's mission is to provide a "high-quality base operations and community support" to all U.S. personnel in Grafenwöhr-Vilseck, Hohenfels and Garmisch.

A large build-up of Rose Barracks in Vilseck occurred in the mid-1980s with the construction of facilities to support a brigade size element which is now home to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

With the establishment of the training area, Grafenwöhr and its subdivisions Gmuend, Huetten, and Goeßenreuth lost 2,820 hectares, meaning two-thirds of its real estate, as well as a portion of its back country.

[1][2] Approximately 250 residents of ten villages, farms and hamlets had to leave their homes between 1907 and 1910 as a result of the establishment of the training area.

During the large expansion of the training area to its current size in 1938, 3.500 residents of 57 villages, farms and hamlets were resettled.

Only a few remnants of the walls, vaulted cellars, wells, remains of churches, chapels and cemeteries bear witness to the former villages.

In 1947, Garmisch became home to the U.S. Army Russian Institute and in 1953 the NATO School opened its doors in nearby Oberammergau cementing the community's role as a center for both military education and U.S.

Today, the George C. Marshall Center and NATO School provide essential forums for international military diplomacy, education and cooperation, while the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort has become the focal point for armed forces recreation in Europe.