FEBRUARY 14, 2024 – The team at the Coleman Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite in Mannheim recently tested a new Enhanced Heavy Equipment Transporter, or EHET, trailer tie-down system and a scale system that will help the Army in Europe operate more efficiently while also improving safety.
Personnel from Army Field Support Battalion-Mannheim/Poland – who are set to transition to Powidz, Poland, and assume mission command of the new Long term Equipment Storage and Maintenance-Complex there later this year – tested the new tie-down system at the Coleman APS-2 worksite Feb. 5-9 using M1A2 SEP V2 and V3 Abrams main battle tanks and M88 armored recovery vehicles from APS-2 stocks.
Erik Scoggins is the plans and operations officer at AFSBn-Mannheim/Poland. He said using the new tie-down system, which is significantly stronger than previous versions, along with the scale system, which has been in the Army’s inventory for several years, adds an additional element of safety and saves time.
The new method helps pinpoint the optimal tie-down points based on the weight and the size of the trailer and the load. And the higher-capacity, stronger tie-down chains meet European and German load-securing standards when transporting oversized loads, like the M1A2 SEP V3 Abrams main battle tank, he said.
“It’s definitely a lot more safety friendly,” Scoggins said. “And it’s more efficient. It speeds up the process. Under the old way of doing it, if you didn’t have your tie-downs in the correct spots, you would wind up having to undo all the chains and adjusting the tie-downs before rechaining the load.”
The 21st Theater Sustainment Command’s Theater Logistics Support Center-Europe requested the team at Coleman test the new tie-down system. Mathias Mueller, an industrial engineer at the TLSC-E, said 36 tie-down systems have been purchased, thus far. Eighteen of them are assigned to the TLSC-E’s 6966th Transportation Truck Terminal, and 18 are assigned to the 51st Transportation Company, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade.
According to an informational update to the 405th Army Field Support Brigade from AFSBn-Mannheim/Poland, the new tie-down system marks a significant advancement in securing military vehicles for transport. The innovative approach ensures optimal safety and stability during transportation, mitigating risks associated with movement on rough terrain or during rapid deployment scenarios. Military personnel can confidently transport critical assets with enhanced equipment securing capabilities, ensuring they arrive at their destinations intact and mission ready.
The successful tie-down testing at the Coleman APS-2 worksite serves as a testament to the Army’s dedication to innovation and operational excellence in every facet of its mission. The Army is commitment to continuously enhancing capabilities to meet evolving operational requirements and challenges on the battlefield, the informational update stated.
The Coleman APS-2 worksite is located on a former Army airfield in Sandhofen, a northern district of Mannheim. 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/Poland will fully redesignate to Army Field Support Battalion-Poland and move operations to Powidz where the Long Term Equipment Storage and Maintenance-Complex is located.
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 and the official Facebook site.
By Cameron Porter
405th AFSB Public Affairs Officer