MANNHEIM, Germany –
MANNHEIM, Germany – Army Field Support Battalion-Mannheim hosted the director of Global Posture Policy from the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Coleman Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite in Mannheim, Jan. 29.
While at the APS-2 worksite, Dorothy Ohl received a firsthand visualization of what the future infrastructure at Coleman will look like and exactly what the infrastructure investment is buying. John Glasgow, the deputy to the commander for AFSBn-Mannheim, along with Herb Gately, the Coleman APS-2 worksite director, discussed the purpose and reasoning for the investment with Ohl.
Accompanying Ohl was Col. Robert Gleckler, the senior plans advisor for European Posture at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and several other representatives from various organizations and agencies.
Glasgow and Gately escorted the Office of the Secretary of Defense representatives around the APS-2 worksite on a combination windshield and walking tour, stopping at multiple site areas and facilities so that Ohl and Gleckler could see for themselves the current conditions and capabilities of the facilities and what the overall impacts of outdoor care of supplies in storage are in regard to costs and readiness.
Additional discussion points during the visit were what makes the Coleman worksite an important strategic location for the APS-2 program, what are the potential returns on investment, and whether the capital investment at the APS-2 worksite is in the best interest of the Army and U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
Ohl, who holds a doctorate degree from George Washington University, previously served as the deputy director for Global Posture Policy for about 2.5 years. She was promoted to director at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in June of 2023. She was also a Middle East and Africa posture advisor and the Israel and Egypt country director.
Ohl graduated Summa Cum Laude from Boston College in 2009, earning her bachelor of arts degree in Islamic civilization and societies. She then studied in Oman, Jordan, as a Fulbright Fellow, which is the most widely recognized and prestigious international exchange program in the world. Ohl earned her doctorate in political science from GWU in 2016, focusing on military cohesion, military effectiveness and social unrest.
The 405th Army Field Support Brigade’s Mannheim Battalion, also known as AFSBn-Mannheim, is charged with receiving, maintaining, storing and issuing APS-2 at the Coleman APS-2 worksite, which is located on a former Army airfield. In August 2021, U.S. Army Europe and Africa announced that it will retain the Coleman worksite, which was previously scheduled to be returned to the German government.
As part of the 405th AFSB’s regional alignment and transformation initiative, Army Field Support Battalion-Germany is set to assume mission command of the Coleman APS-2 worksite later this year, and AFSBn-Mannheim will redesignate to Army Field Support Battalion-Poland, move operations to Powidz, Poland, and assume mission command of the new Long Term Equipment Storage and Maintenance-Complex, there.
The 405th AFSB’s APS-2 program provides turn-key power projection packages ready to deploy at a moment’s notice while helping to reduce the amount of equipment needed from the deploying forces’ home stations. APS-2 sites like Coleman help reduce deployment timelines, improve deterrence capabilities and provide additional combat power for contingency operations. APS-2 equipment may also be drawn for use in training and exercises.
The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment 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.