KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany –
The Army’s annual antiterrorism month is observed in August, and each year the 405th Army Field Support Brigade joins the Army to help instill a heightened awareness and vigilance to prevent terrorist attacks and acts of extremism and protect Army personnel and resources.
For the more than 6,000 Soldiers, Army civilians, local national employees and contractors assigned to the 405th AFSB, their home is overseas – making it extremely important to remain vigilant and to maintain a robust threat awareness posture in order to deter, detect and mitigate risks.
In a memorandum dated July 25, 2022, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth reminded the ranks across the Army to make every effort to counter the threat posed by peer and near-peer competitors and violent extremist organizations against operations in the strategic support area.
“This includes protecting national and local infrastructure against cyberattacks and preventing the threats posed by non-state supported terrorists, violent extremists, and insiders. By staying focused on the full spectrum of threats and hazards, we enhance the protection of Army people and assets and ensure Army readiness,” Wormuth stated in the memo.
This August is the Army’s 13th annual observance of antiterrorism awareness month, and the 405th AFSB is taking this opportunity to remind its employees that being aware and vigilant of possible threats is important every day.
“We want to take this opportunity – antiterrorism awareness month – and instill a heightened awareness and vigilance in our entire workforce to help prevent terrorist attacks and protect resources from acts of terrorism and extremism,” said Cpt. Ashley Dailey, the 405th AFSB protection branch operations chief.
The focus areas for the 2022 antiterrorism awareness month include insider threat awareness, training on countering violent extremism, suspicious activity reporting, threat awareness and reporting programs, operations security, unmanned aircraft systems reporting procedures, and antiterrorism officer credentialing.
“I encourage leaders to assess the effectiveness of their security posture, address vulnerabilities, and ensure all members of the Army community are involved,” Wornuth stated in the memo. “The ability to understand the evolving threat and to assess and act on lessons learned and best practices is key to our success. We must learn from the past while preparing for the future.”
Being aware and reporting concerns can help identify and prevent threats to national security and to the host nations. There are some things everyone can do to help prevent terrorism:
- Be observant and attentive
- Remember details about people, places, conversations and vehicles
- Report concerns to authorities – installation military police, local police or Army CID Crime Tips: www.cid.army.mil/report-a-crime.html
How to report – iSALUTE: www.inscom.army.mil/isalute. When reporting something, remember the acronym SALUTE. Tell authorities the:
- Size (number and types)
- Activity (what is suspicious)
- Location (address, vicinity)
- Unit (what unit they belong to; markings/insignia)
- Time (what day and time observed)
- Equipment (weapons, vehicles, communications)
The 405th AFSB 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.