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APS-2 worksite to support Resolute Castle 24 exercise with horizontal engineer equipment

By Cameron Porter, 405th AFSB Public Affairs OfficerApril 9, 2024

APS-2 worksite to support Resolute Castle 24 exercise with horizontal engineer equipment
A rough terrain container handler from an Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 horizontal engineer equipment set is loaded onto a transporter at the Eygelshoven APS-2 worksite in Eygelshoven, Netherlands, April 8. The container handler and a company’s worth of APS-2 horizontal engineer construction equipment will be issued to a gaining tactical unit at an Equipment Configuration and Hand-off Area during in Romania during the Resolute Castle 24 exercise. (Photo Credit: Daniel Perez) VIEW ORIGINAL

EYGELSHOVEN, Netherlands – The first Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 equipment piece from the Eygelshoven APS-2 worksite was prepared by Army Field Support Battalion-Benelux for departure April 8 before heading to Romania to be issued to a gaining tactical unit at an Equipment Configuration and Hand-off Area during the Resolute Castle 24 exercise.

A company’s worth of horizontal engineer construction equipment from the Eygelshoven APS-2 worksite – over 150 major end items like bulldozers, scrapers and backhoes – is to be issued to an Army engineer company from the U.S. participating in Resolute Castle 24. Horizontal engineer construction equipment can be used to build roads and other horizontal projects, such as parking, storage and staging areas.

Resolute Castle, which is not part of DEFENDER 24, is a U.S. Army Europe and Africa led, multinational, joint exercise which marries U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard, as well as allied and partner nation engineering unit training opportunities with the completion of real-world construction projects that enhance training capabilities in various areas of Europe's eastern member-states. Resolute Castle is designed to reinforce regional partnerships and promote interoperability with host nation forces by providing improvements to existing infrastructure.

Completely separate from this APS-2 operation in Eygelshoven and part of DEFENDER 24, APS-2 equipment from Zutendaal, Belgium; Mannheim, Germany; Dülmen, Germany; and Livorno, Italy, will be sent forward and issued to multiple gaining tactical units from the U.S. in Poland, Germany, and Czechia during DEFENDER 24.

DEFENDER 24 is focused on the strategic deployment of continental, U.S.-based forces, employment of APS, and interoperability with Allies and partners at exercise locations across 13 European countries.

“DEFENDER 24 compliments NATO’s Steadfast Defender 24, the Alliance’s largest military exercise since the Cold War, and demonstrates the United States’ ability to rapidly deploy forces to Europe to defend America’s security interests and every inch of NATO territory,” said Gen. Darryl Williams, commanding general for U.S. Army Europe and Africa and NATO’s Allied Land Command.

The 405th Army Field Support Brigade’s APS-2 program provides turn-key power projection packages ready to deploy at a moment’s notice while helping to reduce the amount of equipment needed from the deploying forces’ home stations. APS-2 sites help reduce deployment timelines, improve deterrence capabilities and provide additional combat power for contingency operations. APS-2 equipment may also be drawn for use in training and exercises.

The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The brigade provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website and the official Facebook site.