United States Senator Jerry Moran spent time in Europe this week meeting with German, French, and British Foreign and Defense Ministers.

The 1st Infantry Division has past ties to Germany from the various missions performed in that country, and at one point serving as home to the Division Headquarters.

“The Big Red One does have a history in Germany, and when I was in those countries I made a point of visiting about the Big Red One, looking for memorials to the Big Red One, and it is the anniversary soon approaching of the Marshall Plan – so it’s a combination of our military success followed by our country’s support for those nations for their recovery,” said Moran.

The Marshall Plan was implemented in Europe after World War II. Moran said that it’s a reminder in this world that there is still value in trying to stabilize other countries and their economies to avoid the use of military force.

Moran also received an update from the Commanding General on necessary troop strength and the effort to put tank brigades into Europe on a rotating basis to assure allies.

“Particularly with the rotating tanks in and out of Germany, and other places in Europe, it’s certainly a subject that I want to pursue further with the Department of Defense – what does that mean for Fort Riley, if anything, how long will these rotations occur and [is there] any belief that they would become more permanent,” said Moran. “Everything that we know about Fort Riley is that things are good there, but there have been a lot of deployments, there are currently a lot of deployments and we’re trying to figure out what if any future deployments might be in the works.”

Moran noted that during the meetings in Europe, he was underscoring America’s commitment to retaining a robust alliance that defends against terrorists and hostile governments.