KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany –
To say Lt. Col. Omar McKen achieved much during his command would be a gross understatement. After two years in the seat, the first commander of the newest, most modern Army Prepositioned Stocks worksite in the world and the first commander of Army Field Support Battalion-Poland (AFSBn-Poland) is set to relinquish command next week.
Since taking command of Army Field Support Battalion-Mannheim (AFSBn-Mannheim) at the Coleman Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 (APS-2) worksite in Mannheim, Germany, in June of 2023 – McKen led his battalion in transitioning from AFSBn-Mannheim to AFSBn-Poland. Along with that and arguably more important, McKen led his battalion in moving an entire modernized Armored Brigade Combat Team’s worth of APS-2 from Mannheim to Powidz, Poland.
And once on the ground in Poland, McKen led his battalion in establishing and operationalizing the Powidz APS-2 worksite. The state-of-the-art APS-2 facility located on the eastern flank of Europe is touted by senior military leaders at the Pentagon and across the Army as the newest, most modern APS worksite in the world.
Comprised of 650,000 square feet of humidity-controlled warehouse space, plus vehicle maintenance work areas and supporting facilities – thanks to McKen’s leadership, the Powidz worksite now houses $125 million worth of APS-2 equipment, to include several dozen M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks and nearly 2,000 other armored and tactical combat vehicles, plus more.
McKen set and implemented the conditions for success at the Powidz worksite. From relocating the Armored Brigade Combat Team to hiring personnel to work at Powidz to integrating Poland Provided Logistic Support servicemembers into APS-2 operations at the worksite, McKen led all these efforts and more.
With all that comes even greater responsibility. Over the past year, McKen hosted numerous dignitaries, delegates, and senior military and civic leaders at the site to include the U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Polish Minister of Defense, U.S. Secretary of Defense, U.S. Secretary of the Army, and numerous three- and four-star generals and other senior leaders.
“I am extremely happy for Lieutenant Colonel McKen and very grateful for all his success during his command. I know his time at the Powidz worksite has been full of unique challenges. I applaud him for his dedication to duty and commitment to the U.S. Army,” said Col. Ernest Lane II, the commander of the 405th Army Field Support Brigade.
Mcken enlisted in the Navy in 1998 and served in the U.S. and overseas. His Army career began in 2006 when he commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Ordnance Corps after completing U.S. Army Officer Candidate School.
His more senior positions as an Army officer – in addition to commanding AFSBn-Poland – were battalion support operations officer and then executive officer of the 189th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, joint logistics officer to the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense, and deputy of operational contract support at the 21st Theater Sustainment Command.
McKen is scheduled to relinquish command of AFSBn-Poland to Lt. Col. MichelleLynn McDevitt in a ceremony at the Powidz APS-2 worksite on June 25, 2025. At his next assignment, McKen is set to be the 7th Transportation Brigade’s support operations officer at Fort Eustis, Virginia. The 7th Trans. Bde. is a subordinate brigade under the XVIII Airborne Corps.