EYGELSHOVEN, Netherlands –
The unity and cooperation between the U.S. and its European allies is stronger today than possibly ever before. Shoulder to shoulder, the U.S. and its NATO partners stand together in defense of the European Theater and the good people who live here.
An excellent example of that ironclad cooperation and powerful work relationship can be observed on a daily basis at the Eygelshoven Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite where Dutch Ministry of Defense employees work side-by-side with U.S. Army Soldiers and Army civilians assigned to the 405th Army Field Support Brigade’s Benelux battalion.
Recently, the command teams from the 405th AFSB and Army Field Support Battalion-Benelux met with the command team from their Dutch counterpart to discuss combined operations at the Eygelshoven APS-2 worksite.
Army Col. Crystal Hills and Command Sgt. Maj. Terrell Brisentine from the 405th AFSB, along with Lt. Col. Blake Smith and Sgt. Maj. Alejandro Romar from AFSBn-Benelux, met with Royal Netherlands Army Material Logistics Command Commander Brig. Gen. Mark Bours and Sgt. Maj. Leon Van Der Laar at the Eygelshoven APS-2 site, Feb. 9. The three command teams also took time during the visit to break bread together and get know each other a little better.
The Royal Netherlands Army Material Logistics Command supports APS-2 operations at Eygelshoven with heavy equipment maintainers and mechanical and electronic repair technicians. Mike Stovall, the director of maintenance at the Eygelshoven APS-2 site, said the Dutch Ministry of Defense maintenance workforce he oversees does repairs, performs services, troubleshoots systems problems and ensures all APS-2 vehicles and equipment pieces remain at the proper maintenance standards, according to U.S. Army technical manuals and specifications.
“We work on everything – generators, tracked vehicles and heavy engineer equipment, and we’re doing everything – brakes, wheel bearings, engines, transmissions, electrical, heating and air conditioning systems, and a lot more. Every two years we do a bi-annual service on every piece of equipment – top to bottom – where we pull all the hubs, bearings and brakes and double check them, repack them and put them back together, for example,” Stovall said.
Gregory Hahn is the Eygelshoven APS-2 site director. He said the Dutch Ministry of Defense employees at the APS-2 site not only work side-by-side and shoulder-to-shoulder with their American counterparts – they are also their friends.
“The cooperation is nothing short of fantastic,” Hahn said. “Our Dutch Ministry of Defense employees at Eygelshoven are always willing to communicate, exchange ideas and develop solutions for the work being carried out. Together we combine our different cultural and business views to create best possible solutions to meet our customers’ requirements.”
“On a more personal level, I also appreciate all the help they gave me to feel more at home with their Dutch culture in the Limburg region. I am very grateful for the hospitality they have shown not only to me but also to my family,” Hahn said.
The Eygelshoven APS-2 worksite is comprised of nine warehouses with about 450,000 square feet of space, plus about 50,000 square feet of outdoor staging, seven maintenance bays, an 18.5-ton crane, 32 converted maintenance bays, 21,000 square feet of hazardous material storage, and more. Battalion Benelux is one of four battalions assigned to the 405th AFSB. The battalion provides mission command of APS-2 operations at Eygelshoven and Zutendaal, Belgium, and is charged with providing and coordinating receipt, transfer, storage and maintenance of APS-2. This enables commanders to conduct unified action and perform a full range of military operations in support of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and joint forces.
In total, the APS-2 sites at Eygelshoven and Zutendaal – under the mission command of AFSBn-Benelux – have prepared, deployed and issued over 45 percent of all the APS-2 equipment in theater as part of a concentrated effort to assist U.S. European Command with readiness, deter further Russian aggression and support NATO allies and partner nations in the European theater.
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.