The 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division headquarters and much of one of its infantry battalions are in Germany for a month-long joint exercise with forces from Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Stars & Stripes notes that the five nations all have forces working together in Afghanistan, and that the training scenario is drawn from Afghanistan. A Germany-based U.S. infantry battalion is playing the role of the Taliban.

All of which raises the question: Is the 3rd Brigade, home now for about a year from its last trip to Iraq, preparing for a deployment to Afghanistan?

The exercise – dubbed Cooperative Spirit 2008 – has an official blog, which doesn't go there.

The Stripes story included one quick unattributed line that says the Army considers it unlikely.

At Fort Lewis, a spokesman reiterated that the Army typically does not speculate about where or when units might be deployed.

Bottom line: Guess we'll have to wait and see.