FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii -- the 402nd Army Field Support Brigade (AFSB), a modular organization designed to bring logistics power forward to every element of the expeditionary Army, conducted a change of command hosted by U.S. Army Sustainment Command, Commanding General Maj. Gen. Duane A. Gamble July 23, on Palm Circle.
Colonel John "Chris" Brookie relinquished command to incoming commander Col. Anthony T. Walters.
The 402nd AFSB provides responsive strategic logistics capabilities and materiel readiness to enable Combatant Commanders the ability to execute full range of military operations, providing direct support to U.S. Army Pacific forces across the U.S. Indo-Pacific command's area of operations.
Dating back to 2003, 402nd AFSB provided support for forces in the U.S. Army Central Command's area of operations and in 2015, the command cased its colors and moved to Hawaii to serve as U.S. Army Materiel Command and U.S. Army Sustainment Command's liaison to the warfighters of the Pacific region.
Gamble highlighted ASFB's move from CENTCOM to Indo-PACOM and the work Brookie had accomplished in creating an AFSB that is ready to fight in more conventional large ground scale combat operations.
"Leaders manage transitions and change, and [Col] Chris Brookie has done that in spades," said Gamble. "Chris you have moved the ball and I am indebted to you."
Outgoing commander Brookie reflected on his time with the AFSB and said, "I want to start by thanking God for getting through the last 25 months. I have come out stronger and better."
Brookie also thanked Gamble for officiating the change of command and promised his successor will do great things for the AFSB and the Army logistics community.
Walters comes to the AFSB after being assigned to the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) as a Senior Army Fellow and was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
"I am blessed that God has afforded me this opportunity to command, and to make it better, I am doing it at home [Oahu]," said Walters.
Brookie will stay in the Indo-PACOM Theater and become the deputy commanding officer of the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command located in South Korea.
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