Before Travel To Europe - Security Needs to know
Traveling in Europe? Security needs to know
Dave Melancon
USAG Heidelberg Public Affairs
HEIDELBERG, Germany – The back page of a tour brochure from the Sato Travel office carried this not-in-fine-print warning: “Documents: Tourist passport for both military and civilian personnel. Military personnel without a tourist passport should check with their orderly room or the foreign clearance guide for information for information on current travel regulations to Switzerland, Austria and Italy.”
That is a warning that should not be ignored, said Judy Steen, U.S. Army Garrison Heidelberg security specialist. Soldiers, family members and civilians should not assume their military ID card and U.S. Army Europe driver’s license are always recognized by other countries’ police and border officials.
Civilian employees should tell their supervisors about their travel plans, she said, informing them of where and when they are traveling, and, most importantly, how to get in contact with the traveler at the destination.
Plus the traveler needs to contact their garrison’s security manager.
The security manager will inform the traveler of any travel and medical warnings for the specific country and how to contact the U.S. Consulate office there.
During the session, the traveler learns about “what they are getting into, what they have to have to go into that country,” Steen said. If there is a mid to serious-level warning about the country and the traveler remains steadfast in his decision to visit, he will be directed to the security office’s foreign clearance section.
“We will let them know the country is having problems,” Steen explained. “We will (inform them of the types of problems) and read the foreign clearance guidance for that country.”
Sponsors should ensure their family members also learn about the country by visiting U.S. Department of State’s Web site, she added. Family members can also contact the garrison’s security office.
At USAG Heidelberg, Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company must see their unit security manager and bring their leave form to the security office for verification, she said.
Other units have their own travel policies and procedures.
Soldiers in 529th Military Police Company follow similar steps before traveling, said Master Sgt. Lee Sodic, acting first sergeant. However, they start by letting their section NCO and platoon sergeant know about their plans.
“Depending on what country they are going to, they will get a (security) briefing,” he said.
Additionally, Soldiers have to complete the Army’s online travel risk assessment, undergo an inspection if they are driving a privately owned vehicle, and receive a written, formal counseling from their first-line supervisor under the V Corps “Oak Tree” counseling program.
The procedures are not designed to put dampers on community members travel plans, but to ensure that travelers can be reached in an emergency, Steen said, citing recent terrorist attacks in London and Madrid. “We know we had people over there,” she said. “We called them to check to see if they were OK.”
Officials in foreign countries are not going to hunt down a traveler’s friends or relatives in an emergency, Steen warned. They will either contact the U.S. embassy or, if they see that the victim is associated with the U.S. military, they will go though military channels, usually with the security offices as the first called.
Stopping by the security office can also prevent travel problems on the other side of the borders, Steen said. In addition to safety warnings, the traveler can learn about visa and driving laws and requirements.
“We’ve (had many) people go to other countries; they did not get permission and they overstayed their visa,” Steen said. “They tried to (return) and the border police took them straight to holding.” They were detained while the border authorizes tried to find out “if they were supposed to be there, why they stayed so long and what’s going on.”
Soldiers reporting to Germany on official orders do not need a passport, she said. But the document is required for traveling in many countries no matter what form of transportation is used to get there.
Tour operators will ask travelers for their passports. Steen said. “They are not supposed to let you get on that bus if they are going to a country where you are supposed to have one.”
Travelers should not use their official U.S. government passports for recreational travel, Steen added. Like the government’s travel credit card, it is only for official business.
Also, flashing an official passport lets everyone — including unfriendly intelligence agencies, terrorists and criminals — know that the traveler is associated with the U.S. government, making them a higher-value target.
International drivers licenses are have become a required document since the World Cup soccer tournament last year.
“We had some people go to France and the police asked them for their driver’s license and they gave them their USAREUR license,” Steen said. “The police said ‘no, you need an international drivers’ license to go from one country to another’ and they were fined €300.”
Drivers can learn more about how to obtain an international license through their community’s driver’s training or vehicle registration offices, she said.
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The U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Europe Region (IMCOM-Europe) is one of six regional offices created Oct. 24, 2006, (formerly known as Installation Management Agency) as part of an Army-wide initiative to focus management of Army installations around the world under one organization. IMCOM-Europe is responsible for all facets of support for U.S. Army Soldiers and families in Europe from drivers’ licenses to child care to force protection. As the landlord for all U.S. Army facilities in Europe, IMCOM-Europe is responsible for infrastructure and continuing the Army's strong commitment to environmental protection. Its higher headquarters is located in Arlington, Va.
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