DUELMEN, Germany- Col. Grant L. Morris, commander 405th Army Field Support Brigade and Command Sgt. Maj. James R. Holmes III, 405th AFSB, conducted an initial site visit of Army Preposition Stock-2 site Duelmen to meet with staff and talk command priorities, Aug. 8-9.
The command team used the visit as an opportunity to look at equipment; receiving, maintenance and staging procedures; site infrastructure, and meet with staff to hear concerns and provide command guidance in person for the first time since assuming their positions in June.
APS-2 Duelmen, or Tower Barracks as the locals call it, is one of the brigade's five APS-2 sites and one of two APS-2 sites under the mission control of the brigade's Army Field Battalion - Mannheim (provisional).
Part of the Army's Prepositioned Stocks Program which strategically prepositions critical war stocks worldwide to reduce deployment response times for a quick and agile expeditionary Army, APS-2 Duelmen is part of the European Reassurance Initiative and facilitates NATO's rapid deterrence options. The site stores and maintains equipment for a division headquarters and division artillery brigade.
"We have a very fluid movement of equipment," described Dan Carroll, 405th AFSB accountable officer.
Currently, APS-2 Duelmen holds over 4,800 pieces of equipment with APS-2 Mannheim holding close to 2000 more that are destined for Tower Barracks.
Morris and Holmes viewed equipment storage solutions on site while asking detailed questions about storage, safety and staging procedures to employees and contractors alike. Morris acknowledged the work and accomplishments of the team at APS-2 Duelmen and provided insight to future mission requirements, emphasizing the need to exercise the ability to issue combat configured equipment rapidly.
"We know you have good and solid operations on how to get equipment in; now we need to make sure we can discharge them with the same expertise, Morris said. "You came in and you stood-up the place. You were going 100 miles an hour. I am not slowing you down, but I will send your efforts in a different direction."
Previous preposition stock concepts had stored equipment bare, leaving the combat configuration to a time closer to issuing. Combat configured equipment includes all technologies mounted on and inside the vehicle and usually separately stored corresponding basic initial issues and combat enablers.
Morris emphasized the importance of the command team's effort to enhance the brigade's issuing expertise and capabilities by integrating regular internal rehearsal of concept drills and issue exercises into the routine business of the brigade and its units.
"We should look at operating one continuous exercise as this builds readiness and provides credible deterrence options for U.S. Army Europe and the Combatant Commander. The more we can do to prepare ourselves to equip the force, when the call comes, the more we ensure the Army is ready to
defeat any threat," Morris said.
The 405th AFSB encompasses four battalions, five Army Prepositioned Stock-2 sites and seven Logistics Readiness Centers, supporting 16 military communities located in four countries: Germany, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands and is the Army Material Command's "Face to the Field" in Europe and Africa accomplishing sustainment missions in support of the warfighter.
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