(NewsNation) — A U.S. Army brigade in Germany has been banned from drinking alcohol and will be temporarily confined to the base after multiple incidents involving drunken troops illegally riding electric scooters.
“I think the command felt like they really had to step in and make a statement and that (punishment) certainly makes a statement,” retired Maj. Gen. William Enyart said on NewsNation’s “Rush Hour” Friday.
The revoked privileges stem from incidents that occurred over the Fourth of July weekend in Nuremberg, where five troops were charged with DUIs for driving scooters under the influence, Army officials told CNN.
“These restrictions will ensure we maintain our mission readiness and remain good guests with our host nation,” Maj. Patrick Connolly, the brigade spokesman, told the military publication Stars and Stripes, who first reported the news.
The entire 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, which includes about 3,000 soldiers who deployed to Bavaria in March after Russia invaded Ukraine, will not be allowed to spend nights off the base until they are trained on German DUI laws, according to CNN.
In Germany, where e-scooters have become readily available, the law dictating the blood alcohol limit treats scooters the same as other vehicles. The legal limit is 0.05% blood alcohol concentration in the European Union’s most populous country.
“Once you step foot off base, then you’re subject to the rules of that nation,” Enyart explained.
It’s not the first time U.S. troops overseas have been involved in drunken scooter incidents. Last summer, South Korean authorities investigated two U.S. soldiers accused of a drunk scooter hit-and-run in Seoul.