MARCH 2, 2022 – The 405th Army Field Support Brigade fully activated its Army Prepositioned Stock-2 sites, and for the first time in the brigade’s APS-2 program history it’s tasked with outfitting an entire armored brigade combat team being deployed to Europe from the United States.
All four battalions assigned to the 405th AFSB prepared and pushed out hundreds of vehicles and equipment pieces from their respective APS-2 sites during the second week of February, and now the brigade is tasked with supporting the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division deploying to Germany from Fort Stewart, Georgia, as announced by the Department of Defense.
At the direction of the Commander, U.S. European Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa is drawing APS-2 equipment and vehicles, mostly from Coleman work site in Mannheim, Germany, under the command and control of Army Field Support Battalion-Mannheim, 405th AFSB.
The APS-2 draw of an armored brigade combat team plus enablers is currently in the process of being delivered to Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany. The APS-2 equipment and vehicles are being loaded onto military and commercial line-haul trucks and transported to Grafenwoehr. The 405th AFSB’s Army Field Support Battalion-Germany is tasked with reception and staging of the APS-2 in preparation for issue to 1st ABCT, 3rd Inf. Div. at an Equipment Configuration and Handoff Area, also known as ECHA, in Grafenwoehr.
This includes tracked vehicles such as the M1 Abrams main battle tank and M2 Bradley fighting vehicle, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, Paladins, generators, Palletized Load Systems and Load Handling Systems, Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks, and more. Some APS-2 is also scheduled to be sent by commercial rail from Mannheim to Grafenwoehr, as well.
“The execution of APS-2 ECHA operations is a complex and challenging task that truly requires a robust team effort to ensure mission success,” said Lt. Col. Rebecca Milkowski, AFSBn-Germany commander. “Here in the Grafenwoehr Training Area my battalion is executing this mission with the support of our three sister battalions, our brigade headquarters, U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, 7th Army Training Command, 624th Movement Control Team, 16th Sustainment Brigade, 409th Contracting Support Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Sustainment Command and numerous other organizations.”
“It is incredible to see so many diverse organizations come together to enable our team to rapidly receive, stage and issue an ABCT’s worth of equipment to 1st ABCT, 3rd Inf. Div. in support of operations here in Europe,” Milkowski said.
Thus far, the 405th AFSB has planned and executed a flawless APS-2 mission in support of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. European Command, ensuring the right types and quantities of equipment and vehicles are quickly positioned to support U.S. forces.
The commander of the 405th AFSB, Col. Brad Bane, credited the brigade’s success to planning.
“We’ve put a lot of work into planning this out to the smallest of details, and all this planning is helping to make this operation successful,” Bane said. “I’m very proud of our entire team. They’re working tirelessly to execute this complex, no-notice mission.”
During the initial draw of APS-2 in early February, more than 600 pieces of equipment – to include Humvees, heavy expanded mobility tactical trucks, medical equipment, generators, containerized systems, construction equipment and other support and sustainment equipment – was drawn from the 405th AFSB’s APS-2 sites and sent forward to U.S. forces to augment command and control, life support and sustainment capabilities in Eastern Europe. Thousands more are being drawn and shipped this month to Grafenwoehr to support 1st ABCT, 3rd Inf. Div.
The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command 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 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.
Story by Cameron Porter
405th Army Field Support Brigade – Europe & Africa