My impression of the Bundeswehr during a field exercise at Munster Lager in 1979 was that they assume buildings in Europe will be available for billeting its troops. The U.S. Army retains an old frontier tradition of assuming its operations will always be in the wilderness, requiring tents, axes, shovels, and every other item of equipment needed to survive in the wild (although you couldn't tell that today from looking at one of our air-conditioned FOBs). Our 2 1/2- and 5-ton trucks even look like Condestoga wagons when the canvas is on the back. The U.S. Army has its Ordnance Corps for vehicle maintenance; the Bundeswehr has contractor maintenance support, and soldier mechanics are used only for quick repairs in the field.

By the way, when I was at Munster in 1979 I ate the famous German Army pea soup with a big wedge of black bread.