U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Garrison Commander Col. Edward J. Sanford is briefed by host-nation emergency responders at the mock-emergency scene during Full Scale Exercise Stallion Shake 2026 at Robinson Barracks on Sept. 12, 2026. Stallion Shake was designed to test the garrison and its local partners’ emergency response capabilities.  Photo by Balmina Sehra, USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs

By Michael Roach
USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs

U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart completed Stallion Shake 2026 on Sept. 12, an exercise testing the installation’s emergency readiness, garrison leaders are citing their team, partners and community as the reason for the event’s success.

Karl Joachim Dörsam, emergency management specialist, Directorate of Plans Training Mobilization and Security, U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart, observes the training he has been planning for leading up to Full Scale Exercise Stallion Shake 2026, on Robinson Barracks on Sept. 12, 2026. Dörsam has an integral role, linking local national assets and emergency responders to USAG Stuttgart’s emergency response teams. Photo by Balmina Sehra, USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs

USAG Stuttgart responded to a mock emergency on Robinson Barracks at approximately 9 a.m., on Sept. 12. Within moments phones started pinging with messages asking mission essential personnel to report to their desks in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). A full-scale response was underway.

“Stuttgart is Where Mission Meets Home, and that has never been truer than it was today,” said USAG Stuttgart Garrison Commander Col. Edward J. Sanford, referencing the garrison’s motto. “There are a lot of people to thank for this, but to me the most important ones are the community members who could have seen this as an inconvenience but still showed support for our training. Especially, the residents on Robinson.”

USAG Stuttgart’s emergency services, bolstered by host nation partners, responded to the Robinson Barracks Zentrum, and began evaluating the scene. Back at Panzer Kaserne, alerts were drafted, a timeline was established and the coordinated efforts of a dozen different disciplines made for a terrific display of skill and aptitude.

Installation Management Command sent a team of evaluators and trainers from San Antonio, to review each piece of the response. Clad in marked vests and toting clipboards, their input and observations helped maximize the event’s training value, according to USAG Stuttgart Command Sgt. Maj. Chris Melendez.

“This was a great opportunity for us to take a look at our overall capability,” Melendez said. “Not only did we get to see what we’re good at, but now we have the benefit of knowing exactly where to improve. The fact that they can bring this quality of training right to our doorstep is something only this organization can do. The fact that we were able to share that training with our host nation partners—this was a win for everyone involved.”

U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Garrison Commander Col. Edward J. Sanford is briefed by host-nation emergency responders at the mock-emergency scene during Full Scale Exercise Stallion Shake 2026 at Robinson Barracks on Sept. 12, 2026. Stallion Shake was designed to test the garrison and its local partners’ emergency response capabilities.  Photo by Balmina Sehra, USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs

Members of USAG Stuttgart’s directorates and special staff as well as some mission partners from the Red Cross and 7th Army Training Command gained valuable insight into their roles during an emergency. Collectively, they coordinated the event response from the EOC, stood up an Emergency Family Assistance Center and communicated with host nation partners in the field.

“Proud is an understatement,” said USAG Stuttgart Deputy to the Garrison Commander Robert Giwnner. “You see our people working every day, mostly independently but to watch them coordinate this way and really see their skill level, that is such an impressive thing. I don’t know that I can say enough about how skilled our civilians, host nation folks and green suiters are.”

That sentiment was echoed at the close of the event, as participants piled into the EOC it became standing room only for Sanford’s final update of the day.

“We train like we fight, and I am confident that this team would be ready for any fight,” he said. “This is what it is all about, I have full faith in the readiness of this team just like I have full faith that next time we are going to come back even stronger. This team will never stop pushing to be better and I am proud to be a part of it.”

USAG Stuttgart military police participated in the 2026 Stallion Shake Exercise on Robinson Barracks on Sept. 12, 2026. Photo by Balmina Sehra, USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs

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