The 405th Army Field Support Brigade’s mission to operationalize U.S. Army Materiel Command’s capabilities and deliver anticipatory readiness within the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility at the tactical point of need was never more important than it was in 2021.
Consisting of four Army Field Support Battalions, seven Logistics Readiness Centers, an extensive Logistics Assistance Program, a wide-reaching Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, and Base Support Operations Transportation and Maintenance – here’s a glimpse at some of what the 405th AFSB provided to Joint Forces in the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Theater of Operations during 2021.
Regional Alignment of Battalions & APS-2 Operations
In 2021, the 405th AFSB mapped out a plan to regionally align its four Army Field Support Battalions and its Army Prepositioned Stock-2 program to best support Joint Forces and U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
As part of the plan and to unencumber AFSBn-Mannheim as it transitions its mission from Germany to Poland, AFSBn-Germany assumed command and control of the Dülmen APS-2 worksite in October. This action marked the brigade’s first official step to regionally align its APS-2 mission. This includes future APS-2 operations in Powidz, Poland, which will fall under AFSBn-Mannheim when it re-flags to AFSBn-Poland and stands up the new APS-2 worksite in the near future.
And in line with the 405th AFSB commander’s priority to regionally align its battalions and APS-2 operations, more than 5,000 vehicles, containers and equipment pieces were moved from north to south of the Alps in a few weeks’ time late this year.
“The main purpose of what we are supporting here and the reason why this APS-2 equipment is being shipped south of the Alps is to support the new APS-2 theater strategy and provide capabilities to best support two Defense Department Combatant Commands,” said Larry Torres, 405th AFSB director of operations.
DEFENDER-Europe 21
The 405th AFSB supported U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s largest exercise of 2021 involving 28,000 multinational force participants from 26 nations conducting nearly simultaneous operations across more than 30 training areas in 12 countries.
The 405th AFSB provided direct support to DEFENDER-Europe 21 by conducting forward APS-2 equipment configuration and handoff area operations in Grafenwoehr Training Area with its AFSBn-Germany and AFSBn-Benelux as well as ECHA operations at Tapa Barracks, Estonia, with its AFSBn-Benelux, issuing more than 280 tactical vehicles and logistical support equipment pieces to U.S.-based combat and combat support units participating in DEFENDER-Europe.
In addition, the 405th AFSB’s LOGCAP supported U.S. Army Europe and Africa forces throughout the DEFENDER-Europe 21 exercise at 19 sites in eight countries with base life support and sustainment services contracts.
LOGCAP Europe Support
In 2021, the 405th AFSB’s LOGCAP interfaced with all major organizations in the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Theater of Operations, setting the theater and providing real time theater sustainment through theater opening – to include reception, staging, onward-movement & integration support – sustainment, theater distribution, stability operations and Defense Support to Civil Authorities support.
The 405th AFSB’s LOGCAP supported nearly 30 sites in eight countries with more than 2,000 contractors providing base life support and sustainment services to Atlantic Resolve missions in 2021. LOGCAP customers included U.S. Army Europe and Africa, 1st Infantry Division, Area Support Team-Balkans, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 588th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, the Black Sea Rotational Force, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade and more.
LOGCAP Africa Support
In 2021, the 405th AFSB’s LOGCAP supported nine sites in the U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility. This crossed seven countries with more than 200 contractors providing nearly 200 base life support and sustainment services to over 2,000 personnel.
“One of the capabilities of the LOGCAP program is its flexibility to adjust its services and quickly support the command’s requirements. We can easily and quickly execute a letter of technical direction to increase or decrease work requirements,” said Tom Moore, the senior representative for LOGCAP Africa, 405th AFSB. “That alone provides much needed and required flexibility to the end user in the field.”
Operations South of the Alps
In addition to its mission to maintain APS-2 stocks, manage LOGCAP, and provide logistics support to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, a major priority for AFSBn-Africa in 2021 was the maintenance, services, movement and shipment of more than 800 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to the U.S. and several dozen to Germany.
The 405th AFSB personnel at Leghorn Army Depot, Italy, assigned to AFSBn-Africa, also received more than 5,000 equipment pieces and vehicles from north of the Alps in late 2021.
“AFSBn-Africa is a very small organization with a very large operational footprint – a small number of Soldiers and civilians taking on an incredibly large mission,” said Robert Saylor, AFSBn-Africa deputy to the commander. “Leghorn Army Depot and AFSBn-Africa are very important to National Defense and to the support of U.S. interests.”
Operation Allies Welcome
The flexibility and adaptability of the 405th AFSB was showcased in 2021 during Operation Allies Welcome. The 405th AFSB was integral in establishing temporary living quarters and providing sustainment support for thousands of Afghan evacuees temporarily housed in Kaiserslautern, Germany.
The Deployment Processing Center at Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern was activated to support the arriving Afghan evacuees. Thanks to the 405th AFSB’s LOGCAP contracting capabilities, ROB’s capabilities more than doubled in 12 days to include complete life support operations for 3,000 more people and augmented support to include food service for 5,000 people. Additionally, LOGCAP issued a contract to support 1,200 long term travelers at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.
The 405th AFSB’s Logistics Readiness Centers Rheinland-Pfalz, Wiesbaden and Bavaria also provided bus service support to OAW participants and Afghan evacuees, assisting them with movements from the life support areas to Ramstein Air Base and other locations. In addition, dozens of 405th AFSB personnel and their families volunteered their free time to help.
Logistics Readiness Centers
The 405th AFSB has seven Logistics Readiness Centers across Europe, each directing, managing and coordinating a variety of operations and activities for the U.S. Army Garrison they are responsible for supporting. During 2021, LRCs Rheinland-Pfalz, Wiesbaden, Stuttgart, Ansbach, Bavaria, Benelux and Italy executed installation logistics support and services to include supply, maintenance, transportation and food service management as well as clothing issue facility operations, hazardous material management, personal property and household goods, passenger travel, and non-tactical vehicle and garrison equipment management.
“Without LRCs, the garrisons they support would not be able to meet their missions to sustain their communities,” said Alex Menzies, the director of Installation Logistics Directorate, 405th AFSB. “Our LRCs provide all additional issue clothing and equipment for all of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and other supporting units. Our LRCs manage all of the property for all of the garrisons and ensure it’s all accounted for. Our LRCs are responsible for transportation and garrison maintenance. The buses, the armored cars – they maintain and repair everything for garrisons. They manage a fleet of thousands of government vehicles across Europe, and they do so much more.”
Logistics Assistance Representatives
In 2021, Logistics Assistance Representatives assigned to AFSBn-Germany from U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, and U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command supported dozens of U.S. Army Europe and Africa units, regionally aligned forces and thousands of Soldiers across Europe during more than 10 exercises and operations including DEFENDER-Europe 21, Combined Resolve and Atlantic Resolve.
Highly trained, 405th AFSB LARs bring more than two dozen specialty skills to Army equipment readiness requirements. They are a direct conduit between U.S. Army Europe and Africa units and AMCOM, CECOM, TACOM and JMC commodity managers and program managers. In 2021, 405th AFSB LARs executed thousands of technical assistance actions while providing real-time feedback and technical guidance to unit commanders and U.S. Army Sustainment Command leadership on actions to resolve systemic issues impacting equipment readiness.
Base Support Operations
Base Support Operations Transportation provided back office support functions for personal property shipping, official travel services and quality control disciplinary actions for Army communities across Europe, and BASOPS Maintenance provided equipment maintenance support to garrison activities across Germany during 2021.
“I live in this community with my family, and many Americans live here, too. They are our neighbors and our friends. The services and support my team and I provide to this community – we provide to everyone – and I enjoy this very much,” said Matthias Eisenhut, 405th AFSB BASOPS Maintenance heavy equipment maintenance specialist and inspector.
The 405th AFSB’s accomplishments during 2021 were only possible due to its people – its Soldiers, civilians, local national employees and contractors – working together to complete the mission. And the 405th AFSB’s mission as we enter 2022 will remain the same – to support the warrior. Fulcio Bellatoris! Support The Warrior!
For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website at www.afsbeurope.army.mil and the official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/405thAFSB.