JUNE 4, 2024 – There’s no doubt Soldiers on the frontlines need support, and recently Soldiers from 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division said they received exceptional support from Army Field Support Battalion-Poland when the battalion issued nearly 100 Bradley Fighting Vehicles to the Cavalry Soldiers at two locations in Poland and one in Lithuania, May 20-31.
The Bradleys, which came from the 405th Army Field Support Brigade’s Coleman Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite in Mannheim, are a combination of M2A3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles and M3A3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicles. The two Bradley variants are nearly identical except that instead of holding six infantrymen in the payload compartment, the cavalry variant is designed to seat two scouts and carry more ammunition and communications equipment.
The Soldiers from 1st ABCT, 1st Cav. Div. are in Europe on a 9-month deployment in support of U.S. Army Europe and Africa operations. Upon their redeployment to Fort Cavazos, Texas, next year, they’re scheduled to receive the Army’s newest M2A4 Bradleys. For this reason, the Bradley issue by AFSBn-Poland to the Cav Soldiers for their 9-month Europe deployment directly supports this Bradley modernization plan.
The team from AFSBn-Poland continues to play a critical role equipping Soldiers in Europe with APS-2 while also supporting Army modernization efforts. In September of 2023, the team divested nearly 120 Bradley Fighting Vehicles from 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cav. Div., relieving them of responsibility in preparation for new equipment fielding, following their 9-month rotation in Europe. APS-2 support efforts provided by the 405th AFSB directly impact equipment modernization and overall readiness, not only in Europe but across the Army.
“Each week I dial into weekly Bradley modernization operational planning team meetings, ensuring I know my role and understand the Army’s end state for equipping brigade combat teams with the most advanced weapons,” said Maj. Steven Waugh, the support operations officer at AFSBn-Poland.”
“I’ve learned more about Bradleys over the last year serving as SPO of AFSBn-Poland than I had my previous 13 years in the Army,” Waugh said. “To know that I played a small piece of this strategy has been rewarding.”
This was a huge effort by the entire team, said Waugh.
“We worked long hours, 6 to 7 days a week getting these Bradleys ready,” he said, “and the Cav Soldiers said they are the best Bradleys they’ve ever used.”
As part of the 405th AFSB’s regional alignment and transformation initiative, soon AFSBn-Poland will move all its resources from Mannheim to Powidz, Poland, where the newly completed Long Term Equipment Storage and Maintenance-Complex is located and unfurl its colors. Army Field Support Battalion-Germany will then assume mission command of the Coleman APS-2 worksite. Additionally, AFSBn-Germany maintains mission command of the Dülmen APS-2 worksite, as well.
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, Dülmen and the LTESM-C in Poland help reduce deployment timelines, improve deterrence capabilities and provide additional combat power for contingency 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 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.
Story by Cameron Porter
405th Army Field Support Brigade – Europe & Africa