BAUMHOLDER, Germany - The main body of the 4th Infantry Division's Mission Command Element (MCE) completed their move from Grafenwoehr to Baumholder, supporting Operation Atlantic Resolve, October 20, 2015.
Lt. Col. Brian Schoellhorn, MCE, chief of staff, said the MCE was directed to move here mid-September to establish a more permanent headquarters.
"By being at Baumholder, we are closer to military transportation at Ramstein and it gives us the ability to expand significantly to accommodate the division footprint," said Schoellhorn. "Essentially, Baumholder has the capacity to turn the MCE into a [Division Tactical] and we have been using the term 'Fort Carson East' as the potential for Baumholder's expandability as a mission command platform. Our footprint is a little bit bigger and we will eventually have more capability residing inside the Baumholder footprint than we did at the temporary facility in Grafenwoehr."
Schoellhorn said the mission of the MCE is to act as the intermediate headquarters for Atlantic Resolve. "We are under the operational control of United States Army Europe and we do the tactical and operational mission command in Operation Atlantic Resolve countries," he said.
Schoellhorn said the MCE is on the third iteration since its inception.
"Now we are identifying the further expansion of our mission and the definitions of command support relationships being more refined," he said. "We are really finding added value with coordination with country teams and allies and serving as the intermediate headquarters for the rotational and assigned brigades for Atlantic Resolve."
"The MCE moved to Baumholder to improve the mission support we are able to give to Operation Atlantic Resolve," said Staff Sgt. Justin Wilson, assigned to the MCE as the supply sergeant. "The Soldiers are living in better facilities and the MCE is in a better position in the country. The MCE has a bigger footprint to operate in with more office space to operate in."
Wilson, a native of Orrville, Ohio, arrived in Baumholder in advance of the MCE main body to prepare for the arrival. Wilson said there were challenges with the move, but they were overcome quickly.
"There were aspects as far as signing for the building and getting equipment on the ground, but with the coordinated efforts between sections, we were able to overcome these issues quickly," Wilson said.
Despite the challenges, Wilson said the move was successful.
"I was happy with how everyone was received when they came in and I believe the majority of the Soldiers were pleased about how everything was set," Wilson said. "Overall, it was a team effort and we did a really good job of getting everybody here."
Social Sharing