BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Any change of command ceremony marks the closing of one chapter and the beginning of a new one, but the change of command from Lt. Col. Marvin L. Walker to Lt. Col. Mark W. Susnis Dec. 5 marked a more significant transition as two battalions merged to become Army Field Support Battalion Afghanistan, Army Materiel Command's single face to the field for all of Afghanistan.
Lt. Col. Walker commanded Army Field Support Battalion Bagram which had the mission to field, sustain and retrograde equipment for units in Regional Commands North, East and Capital. Lt. Col.l Susnis assumed command of Army Field Support Battalion Afghanistan with the mission to support all of Afghanistan for the final days of Operation Drum Beat and into the Resolute Support Mission.
"With literally mountains of iron and steel to be received, triaged, and retrograded, his [Walker's] assumption of command was surely comparable to boarding an airplane that's already in flight," said Col. Matthew J. Ferguson, 401st Army Field Support Brigade commander. "I credit Marvin with not only leading his team to conquer what seemed to be an almost impossible mission but also for setting the foundation of the Battalion we officially stand up today."
Ferguson acknowledged the accomplishments of AFSBn-Bagram by saying the team exceeded every retrograde goal and thanked the 'team of teams' for their role in supporting the orderly and responsible exit of U.S. forces from the combat theater.
"I had the opportunity to be involved with a truly significant mission, to work with some great people, and to be around some of the best logisticians in the Army," said Walker. "I leave you with Lt. Col. Mark Susnis ... and I ask that you give him the same support and counsel that you faithfully gave me.
In addressing the AFSBn-Afghanistan commander, Ferguson told Susnis that retrograde equipment represents 71 percent of the workload for Army Depots in 2015 with "61 percent of past retrograded equipment having been accounted for, dispositioned by and shipped from the 401st Battalions."
"This team of teams is truly building future Army readiness," Ferguson added.
"Over the past few weeks we deactivated the battalion in Kandahar, merged the very best talent of the two battalions and are now prepared to serve as one united battalion to serve as Army Materiel Command's single face to the field in Afghanistan," Susnis said. "We will continue to serve our nation on the forward edge of freedom during the Resolute Support mission."
Susnis credited the "professionalism and maturity of the Soldiers and Department of the Army civilians" as being key to a successful transition.
AFSBn-Afghanistan will continue to have Logistics Task Forces elements in strategic areas to support ongoing missions and will be able to quickly respond to changing mission requirements.
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