Contact Information
USAG Benelux is a military base run by the United States of America in Europe. Benelux is an acronym for three countries in the area – Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. Aside from these three nations, the military base also spreads over France, United Kingdom and Germany. The garrison is among the most important ones in the area, mostly due to its size, coverage and support for three complementary bases located in these countries. The co-base might be operated by the United States of America, but it serves the interests of NATO under the regulations and laws of the countries it is located in. The three other bases it supports are Schinnen, Brussels and Chievres. The primary mission of the facility is to support the army operations conducted by NATO through the seven countries.
History
Just like most other similar co-bases run by the Americans in Europe, this one has a relatively short history and was founded around World War II. The first location of the garrison was in France, in Luneville. It was established in the first days of 1945, as World War II was drawing to an end. It only managed to resist for a few months before being inactivated in the same year. The garrison was moved to the United States of America, in Texas. It was reactivated in 1954, during the first years of the Cold War. 12 years later, as the United States of America joined the Vietnam War, the base was relocated in the war theater. After supporting and conducting multiple operations in Vietnam for more years, the facility was inactivated again, in 1972. Before being reactivated, it was moved back to Europe, more precisely in Chievres, Belgium. The reactivation was done in the summer of 1984.
USAG Benelux is part of NATO since 1967, when it was included in the support group soon after the alliance relocated the headquarters from Paris to Brussels.
Units
The units hosted on site are organized in directorates, agencies and offices. The base is meant to support military actions, although this area of Europe is extremely safe, therefore there isn’t too much military work on site. Some of the general staff agencies hosted at USAG Benelux include the Resource Management, the Public Works, the Human Resources or the Emergency Services and Logistics.
Housing
There are two offices dealing with the housing opportunities when relocating to USAG Benelux. The Housing Division located at Chievres is the main one. It supports all the newcomers and aims to make them feel like home. When there are no available spots on site, the housing office will direct you to the International Housing Office, which is responsible with the housing opportunities at a nearby base – SHAPE.
Your options are extremely diversified when relocated on site, while the facilities are very cheap. However, this is not your only option. If you cannot find any free spots or the facilities don’t satisfy your needs, you can always rely on the privatized off site housing system in the nearby human communities. You have even more options, not to mention about the chance to “taste” the real European lifestyle.
