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Home : News : Article Display
NEWS | April 20, 2022

Supporting SHAPE, Chièvres, Brussels, Brunssum – transportation chief very proud of his team

By Cameron Porter 405th Army Field Support Brigade

Name: Anthony Atkins

Job title: Transportation Division Chief

Assigned: Logistics Readiness Center Benelux, 405th Army Field Support Brigade

Location: SHAPE, Belgium

Experience: I’ve been working at LRC Benelux for six years. I started out as a quality control inspector and a year later I became the traffic manager. A few months after that I was promoted to the Chief of the Transportation Division, LRC Benelux. Before coming to Belgium, I was at the Space and Naval Warfare Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina, working as a traffic manager and configuration specialist for five years.  

Other service: I served for 24 years in the Air Force and retired as a Master Sergeant. My last active duty assignment was as the Superintendent of the Traffic Management Flight.  

Hometown: Greenville, Alabama

Family: I am married to my wife, Anne Marie, for almost 20 years, and I have three sons and a daughter.

Q: Can you explain what your duties are at LRC Benelux?

A: I oversee four locations – SHAPE, Chièvres, Brussels, Brunssum – in all aspects of transportation, with over 50 people working in my directorate. The transportation directorate consists of personal property, driver’s testing, quality control and the transportation motor pool. For example, the Personal Property Processing Office is responsible for counseling and assisting all of the community members within the U.S. Army Garrison Benelux footprint – which includes the four areas I mentioned – with their household goods, unaccompanied baggage, non-temporary storage and personally owned vehicles. They ensure our community members are well informed and briefed on their entitlements, whether that’s their POVs, storage or shipments – anything that pertains to personal property. For our transportation motor pool, we have a non-tactical vehicle fleet that supports the entire USAG Benelux community. We also have seven heavy armored vehicles that support distinguished guests, flag officers and important visitors, such as special delegates in Brussels, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and even the U.S. President when he visits. For driver’s testing, in the Netherlands we are authorized to issue host country licenses to our community members. In Belgium, we assist our customers with training and provide them with the instructions they’ll need to receive their licenses directly from the Belgium government. Of course, safety is the most important thing when it comes to driving in our community. Our main focus is always to assist our community members to best understand the rules of the road over here to help ensure their safety.            

Q: Why is your mission at LRC Benelux so important?

A: We do our very best to support the USAG Benelux community and help make our community members’ lives a little easier while stationed overseas. Some of our community members have never been outside of the U.S., but we work hard to help make their transition here as smooth as possible and their lives here as productive, enjoyable and satisfying as possible. We do that by providing them with the very best transportation services we can. I feel that our mission is extremely vital. We are here to help ease their transition concerns when they arrive here and when they leave.

Q: What do you enjoy about your job, and what motivates you?

A: I enjoy seeing people smile based on the service we provide them. Even during those times when they’re not always smiling, my team and I will continue to work extremely hard to help provide alternative ways to assist them and make sure they’re well supported. I take extreme pride in what we do, and it makes me feel good when we receive positive feedback from our community members. I’m only as good as the people around me, and I have a wonderful team who I am very proud to serve with. I try to tell them how much I appreciate them as much as possible. I understand I’m here only because of the Soldiers and their Families, and I love what I do.

LRC Benelux and 405th AFSB: LRC Benelux is one of seven LRCs under the command and control of the 405th AFSB. LRCs execute installation logistics support and services to include supply, maintenance, and transportation as well as clothing issue facility operations, hazardous material management, personal property and household goods, passenger travel, non-tactical vehicle and garrison equipment management, and property book operations. When it comes to providing day-to-day installation services, LRC Benelux directs, manages and coordinates a variety of operations and activities in support of USAG Benelux.

LRC Benelux reports to the 405th AFSB, which is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and under the operational control of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The brigade is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. Forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. 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.