PATCH BARRACKS, Germany — Having recently toured several major military installations, the Supreme Allied Commander and head of US European Command Gen. Curtis Scaparotti expressed bewilderment at the exquisite tidiness of every work-center he has visited.

"The realization hit me on the way back from Ramstein," Scaparotti was overheard telling his enlisted aide. "There has to be a pattern here."

According to sources, the head of EUCOM appeared "baffled" at how every time he went into a building or office to greet the assigned personnel, their areas were spic-and-span.