The Army in Europe is working closely with local law enforcement to ensure the safety of its soldiers, families and schools, the commander of U.S. Army Europe said.
"There is risk, but I think people are doing all the right things to ensure we have a safe environment for families and kids," said Lt. Gen. Frederick "Ben" Hodges during a meeting Monday with Army Times.
Hodges added he is "very confident" that the Army has "good information sharing" with host nation law enforcement officials across the region amid concerns that the Islamic State or homegrown terrorists may try to target U.S. troops and their families.
"They are all as interested as we are in watching these knuckleheads that are going to Syria and then coming back, or the homegrown guys like what you saw in Paris and outside of Brussels," Hodges said. "They are all very concerned about that, and I would say I am very confident that we have good information sharing."
In November, U.S. European Command released a directive telling U.S. troops stationed in Europe to "limit to the max extent possible wearing their uniforms off base."
Troops are allowed to wear their uniforms only while commuting to and from work in their personal vehicles, a rental car or while riding on a government bus, according to the directive. They also were encouraged to review the security and geo-location settings on their social media accounts to "ensure their profiles are not overly revealing," according to the directive.
At the time, EUCOM did not specify if a potential threat prompted the directive, but it came as installations in the U.S. and overseas were taking extra security precautions amid concerns about the Islamic State.
More than half the people stationed in Europe live off post, Hodges said.
"Most Americans that are in Europe do not live behind the line," he said. "They are out every day, there are hundreds of school kids that are on buses from these distributed areas moving in towards where the elementary, junior high and high schools are located, so they're vulnerable. We have monitors on all these things."
Hodges added that if his children were of school-going age, he would "feel completely safe" about sending them to school.
But he also called on his soldiers and their families to be alert.
"Watch where you go, pay attention to what you are doing and watch your profile," he said. "Each of us has a responsibility for force protection. See something, say something."
Staff writer Jeff Schogol contributed to this report.
Michelle Tan is the editor of Army Times and Air Force Times. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa.
