SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 – A staff delegation from the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Embassy to Poland conducted a site visit to the Army’s newest, most modern Army Prepositioned Stocks worksite in Powidz, Poland, Sept. 5.
According to Capt. James Bath, the Army Field Support Battalion-Poland operations officer at the site, the staff delegation visited the Powidz APS-2 worksite to assess and provide first-hand information and knowledge on APS-2 operations in Poland back to Congress.
Visiting Congressional and U.S. Embassy delegation members were:
- Douglas Coutts, chief of staff, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR)
- Ross Dietrich, legislative director, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL)
- James Dolbow, national security advisor, Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA)
- Jooeun Kim, defense and foreign policy advisor, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
- Kelly Kim, foreign policy correspondent, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE)
- Carolyn King, chief of staff, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA)
- Abigail May, chief of staff, Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-NC)
- Jonas Miller, chief of staff, Rep. John R. Carter (R-TX)
- Bart Reising, deputy chief of staff, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA)
- Jordan Wilson, director of member services, Committee on House Administration
- Maj. Kelly Keene, U.S. Embassy to Poland assistant military attaché
Guiding the delegation members through the worksite and briefing them on its operational capabilities was the commander of the 405th Army Field Support Brigade, Col. Ernest Lane II, and the AFSBn-Poland commander, Lt. Col. Omar McKen, along with the battalion’s senior enlisted leader, Sgt. Maj. Olimpia Valdez, and other representatives from AFSBn-Poland.
The Powidz APS-2 worksite is comprised of 650,000 square feet of humidity-controlled warehouse space and a vehicle maintenance facility as well as supporting facilities. It houses and maintains a modernized Armored Brigade Combat Team’s worth of APS-2 equipment to include several dozen M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks, and nearly 200 other armored combat vehicles, plus more. To learn more about the Powidz APS-2 worksite, watch this video:
The Powidz APS-2 worksite demonstrates the commitment and investment of the U.S. and the host nation with NATO through enduring agreements to posture resources for rapid deployment and deter potential adversaries.
The 405th AFSB’s APS-2 program helps reduce deployment timelines, improves deterrence capabilities and provides additional combat power for contingency operations. APS-2 equipment may also be drawn for use in training and exercises like U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s DEFENDER series of exercises.
There are six APS-2 worksites across Europe located in five countries under the command and control of the 405th AFSB. Each APS-2 site has the capability to house and maintain about an Armored Brigade Combat Team’s or a Sustainment Brigade’s worth of equipment as well as engineer, artillery, military police, and medical capabilities.
The 405th AFSB’s APS-2 program enhances U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s capability to support the warfighter while simultaneously promoting stability and security in the region. Additionally, it helps to assure NATO partners and allies that the U.S. is fully committed to the collective defense of Europe.
By providing turn-key power projection APS-2 packages ready to employ at a moment’s notice, the APS-2 program is a key component of U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s power projection and warfighter readiness missions.
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 and the official Facebook site.
By Cameron Porter
405th AFSB Public Affairs Officer