An outbreak of rubella occurred among visiting German troops involved in a
combined military exercise at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in April 1995. Pu
blic health and military operational concerns centered on the significant c
ontact the German soldiers had had with host battalion dependents and the i
mpact of the outbreak on the exercise. Ten of the 120 German soldiers were
found to be nonimmune; six of these soldiers developed clinical rubella. Th
e four nonimmune soldiers who did not develop shin rashes had received seru
m immune globulin within 12 hours of identification of the index case. The
impact of this outbreak on the Fort Bragg community and its military operat
ions, and the methods used to control the outbreak and salvage the military
mission, are described.