GRAFENWÖHR, Germany –
The only field support battalion in the Army with a geographically dispersed Army Prepositioned Stocks worksite – and soon to be two of them – changed leadership June 12.
In a combined change of command and relinquishment of responsibility ceremony under the Water Tower at Tower Barracks in Grafenwöhr, Lt. Col. Jonathan Neal assumed command of Army Field Support Battalion-Germany from Lt. Col. Denny Bernacki, and Command Sgt. Maj. Randy Leyba relinquished responsibility.
Highly unique, AFSBn-Germany is headquartered in Bavaria with an APS-2 worksite in North Rhine-Westphalia and next month another in Baden-Württemberg when it takes command of the APS-2 site in Mannheim. In addition, making it one of only a handful of multifunctional AFSBns in the Army, AFSBn-Germany also supports an entire continent with over 80 Logistics Assistance Representatives from all four of U.S. Army Materiel Command’s Life Cycle Management Commands.
Neal comes to AFSBn-Germany from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command where he served as the chief of operations (G33) for just under a year. Prior to that, Neal was the commander of the White House Transportation Agency for three years. He also served on the Army Talent Management Task Force and as the support operations officer and logistics officer for the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, among several other assignments.
Bernacki, who served as the commander of AFSBn-Germany for two years, departs Germany with his family and heads to the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to be the military deputy for one of the four supply chains – subsistence, clothing and textiles, construction and equipment, and medical. DLA Troop Support provides more than $19 billion in support globally to units and organizations across the entire Department of Defense.
Leyba, who was laterally promoted to command sergeant major June 11 – just one day before the change of command and relinquishment of responsibility ceremony – will be heading to Fort Carson, Colorado, with his family where he will be assigned as the command sergeant major of the 68th Division Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Division Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.
“I’d like to express my personal gratitude to Lieutenant Colonel Bernacki and Sergeant Major Leyba. I know their time here has been full of unique challenges, and I applaud their dedication to duty and commitment to taking care of their people,” said the 405th Army Field Support Brigade commander, Col. Ernest Lane II, during the ceremony.
“I also commend Lieutenant Colonel Bernacki’s and Sergeant Major Leyba’s spouses, Becca and Leslie, for their unwavering commitment and support to their Soldiers, Battalion Germany, Team 405th and the Army,” Lane said.
“Lieutenant Colonel Neal has a tough act to follow,” said Lane, “but I know he is capable of the task. He is ready for this assignment, and we are ready for him.”
“Lieutenant Colonel Neal, there are many challenges to face here in Bavaria, at the Dülmen APS-2 worksite, and at the Coleman APS-2 worksite when you take mission command of that site very soon, but you have a great team of teams who can get things done and get them done right,” Lane said.
“In the end, success will be ours. We will advance the cause of freedom. Our alliance with our European partners and NATO is rock solid, strong and committed, and no one should doubt our resolve or our capability,” Lane added.
Germany battalion is one of four battalions assigned to the 405th AFSB and is headquartered at Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Germany. In addition to its APS-2 mission at Dülmen and soon to be mission at Coleman, AFSBn-Germany is responsible for providing and coordinating tactical and operational sustainment to ensure theater readiness and enable commanders to conduct a full range of military operations.
The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The brigade provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging AMC’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.