The 402nd Army Field Support Brigade celebrated 15 years since its activation during a birthday ceremony here at brigade headquarters on Oct. 15, reflecting on a history supporting U.S. Central Command and actively supporting units deployed to Iraq.
The brigade then returned to its home station with a new mission — to integrate synchronize and deliver the U.S. Army Materiel Command capabilities to U.S. Army Pacific.
Prior to the ceremonial cake cutting, 402nd brigade commander, Col. Erik Johnson, reflected on the brigade’s rich history supporting two different areas of operation.
“The brigade has come a long way since its inception, first supporting CENTCOM and now supporting USARPAC,” said Johnson to the brigade staff.
The 402nd, now headquartered on historic Palm Circle, can trace its lineage to Iraq in 2003, three years prior to activation as an AFSB, before AFSBs even existed.
“Logistic Support Element-Iraq was formed to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, providing AMC capabilities forward to combat forces,” said Joe Schulz, the 402nd’s current deputy to the commander.
The establishment of LSE-Iraq in May 2003 shifted the command and control of the nine LSEs supporting customers in Iraq from LSE-Southwest Asia to LSE-Iraq. This shift in organization created what would later become the 402nd AFSB.
In January 2005, the materiel enterprise reorganized the requirement for a more centralized command and control element in Iraq, thus LSE-Iraq became AFSB-Iraq. With this name change, it also assumed command and control of all AMC operations in Iraq, establishing a single point of entry for all AMC operations in Iraq. By 2006, AFSB-Iraq was re-designated as the 402nd AFSB.
“The U.S. Army Sustainment Command, established under AMC to provide command and control over the new concept of AFSBs, wanted an AFSB dedicated to the mission in Iraq,” said Jae Pierce, who joined the 402nd AFSB in 2014 to set conditions for the brigade’s relocation to Hawaii. “The 402nd was activated on October 16, 2006 at Balad Air Base, Iraq with permanent orders assigning the brigade to Fort Shafter. At the time, operational necessity led ASC to have the brigade remain in Iraq to continue AMC support to the warfighter engaged in OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom).”
While in Iraq, the 402nd’s mission grew to include retrograde operations in 2009, as the Army began to withdraw from Iraq and shift focus to Afghanistan. By 2010, the 402nd assumed responsibility of Army Field Support Battalion-Kuwait and AFSBn-Qatar, giving the 402nd control over the complete retrograde mission for Iraq. In 2012, the 402nd retrograded 180,000 pieces of equipment from Southwest Asia according to ASC history files. The 402nd then began preparations to return to Hawaii in 2014.
In Army tradition, when a brigade moves from one location to another, its colors are cased, meaning they are stored ceremoniously for travel to the new location. The 402nd cased its colors July 16, 2015, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, signifying the end of the 402nd’s support to OIF & Operation New Dawn after almost nine years.
On Aug. 3, 2015, the 402nd uncased its colors, holding a change of command ceremony at the gazebo on Palm Circle at Fort Shafter.
“So, now the 402nd assumes operations in the Pacific command region, including support to units based in Hawaii and Alaska,” said then-Maj. Gen. Kevin O’Connell, the commanding general for ASC at the ceremony. “That is [a] broad geographic region with quite a contrasting climate, but I am confident that the 402nd is ready to cover any area of responsibility and take on any new and diverse mission they may be called on to execute.”
Over the last 15 years, the 402nd headquarters has grown from five personnel to more than 50 Soldiers, Department of Army Civilians and contractors. The 402nd AFSB encompasses two battalions and three Logistics Readiness Centers with more than 1,200 personnel across the Indo-Pacific Region. Despite the growth, the mission remains the same, integrating and synchronizing AMC capabilities, said Schulz.
“The role of the 402nd continues to be critical in supporting the Theater Army and Joint Force in the Indo-Pacific Region.”
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