Briefing 6- 01/19/2026 Main Gate Merrell Barracks 1984, Photo by M Maans Merrell Barracks, located in Nürnberg (Nuremberg), Germany, was a significant U.S. Army installation during the Cold War era, serving as the headquarters for the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2nd ACR) from 1952 to 1992. Originally constructed in the late 1930s as an SS Signal School and barracks complex integral to the Nazi Party rally grounds, the site was captured by U.S. forces in April 1945 and renam

Briefing 5- 01/05/2026 The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG), originally known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG), represented one of the largest and most strategically significant Soviet military deployments during the Cold War. Established in the aftermath of World War II, it served as a forward-based force to secure Soviet interests in Europe, deter NATO aggression, and maintain control over the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Spanning nea

Briefing Issue 4- 11/01/25 (Revised) Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact, formally known as the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance, was a pivotal military alliance established by the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states during the height of the Cold War. Signed on May 14, 1955, in Warsaw, Poland, it served as a collective defense mechanism and a direct counterbalance to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which had been formed in 19

Briefing Issue 3- 11/18/25 REFORGER (Return of Forces to Germany) Wisconsin National Guard Moral patch . Form the Cold War Outpost Collection REFORGER, an acronym for "Return of Forces to Germany" (also known as "Redeployment of FORces to GERmany"), was a series of annual NATO military exercises conducted from 1969 to 1993 during the Cold War. These large-scale maneuvers simulated the rapid reinforcement of Western European defenses against a potential Soviet invasio

Briefing Issue 2- 10/10/2025 Operation BIG LIFT Operation Big Lift, conducted from October 22 to November 1963, stands as one of the largest and most ambitious military airlift exercises in U.S. history. This Cold War-era operation involved the rapid deployment of the U.S. Army's 2nd Armored Division—nicknamed "Hell on Wheels"—from Fort Hood, Texas, to West Germany, demonstrating America's ability to swiftly reinforce NATO allies in the event of a Soviet invasion. Over 15,00

What was the Warsaw Pact? Briefing I The Warsaw Pact was a collective defense treaty, created by the Soviet Union and seven Central and Eastern Europe countries:  Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania (Albania withdrew from the treaty in 1968). Emblem of the Warsaw Pact Formally known as the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance. The Warsaw Pact was created on May 14th 1955, shortly after the accession of West Germany