ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – In quick succession, Hurricanes Helene and Milton pummeled the southeastern U.S., leaving a trail of devastation. The 406th Army Field Support Brigade stepped up to support local communities and Army installations that had been ravaged by the storms.
The 406th AFSB, one of seven brigades within the U.S. Army Sustainment Command, is headquartered at Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) in North Carolina. As part of its mission, the organization provides critical logistics support during natural disasters, aligning with ASC’s broader mission to deliver globally responsive strategic logistics capabilities that get Soldiers the supplies and equipment they need, whenever and wherever.
“These two storms provided devastating effects to multiple communities throughout the southeast United States,” said Jerryl Randolph, executive officer, Army Field Support Battalion Stewart. “The Army Field Support Brigade’s capability to provide installation and enterprise logistics support was impressive and made a difference in saving lives and reducing suffering."
With support battalions from Fort Campbell, Fort Stewart, and Fort Liberty, the 406th AFSB lived up to its motto of "Steadfast Support" as it aided communities and Army bases affected by the hurricanes.
Overall, about 1,400 Army Civilians, Soldiers and contracted personnel from the brigade provided some level of support to these hurricanes, a brigade official said.
“We also had to rely heavily on state agencies and civilian transportation organizations just to name a few,” Randolph said.
“Fort Liberty and Fort Campbell brought relief to the residents and affected counties in western North Carolina. These [installation] Soldiers helped federal, state and local officials clear roads, distribute food, fuel, water and other amenities,” said Maj. Tiffany Rupp, Support Operations officer, AFSBn-Liberty.
Some of the assistance, Rupp said, included:
• Coordinated the linehaul (rail) of 88 pieces of equipment that included Infantry Squad Vehicles and engineer equipment
• Issued 65,000 gallons of fuel to the military
• Coordinated 13 buses for movement of military personnel to and from areas of operation
• Issued 3,600 cases of Meals, Ready to Eat; 2,900 cases of bottled water; 362 cases of First Strike Rations; 21 cases of halal meals; 10 cases of coffee; supplemental bars; sports drink mixes; fresh fruit; and Unitized Group Rations
• Issued 3,000 extreme cold weather gear items to the local communities in western North Carolina
“Lastly, we provided over 80 20-foot shipping containers to support ongoing state hurricane relief operations. We accomplished this by integrating, synchronizing, delivering, and ensuring readiness for over 20 different units/organizations,” Rupp said.
They temporarily housed items from destroyed homes, stored personal belongings of residents whose damaged but salvageable homes were under repair, and held critical supplies to meet the community's needs in the coming months despite limited storage space.
Likewise, AFSBn-Campbell helped ensure that over 1,000 Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) had the logistical support needed to respond swiftly and effectively to Hurricane Helene relief efforts, said Maj. Bethany Fischer, executive officer, AFSBn-Campbell.
“Our coordinated efforts were structured through the Division Logistics Support Element, where our team collaborated closely with the 101st to align resources, supplies, services, and information to meet their mission needs,” Fischer said.
Soldiers assigned to Fort Campbell for hurricane relief efforts received a total of 47,232 MREs and 46,496 bottles of water, she said.
“Acting as a critical bridge between operational requirements and the broader sustainment enterprise, the DLSE helped link organizations and resources across the sustainment enterprise, to ensure necessary supplies and equipment were delivered during deployment and redeployment phases,” Fischer said.
In response to Hurricane Helene, AFSBn-Stewart integrated with the Garrison Installation Emergency Operations Center. This allowed them to synchronize logistics support with the 3rd Infantry Division, Garrison, and other installation partners to aid in recovery efforts and maintain 3rd ID readiness.
“This was important after experiencing the effects of Hurricane Helene impacting our workforce and operating at a degraded capacity. We continued to successfully execute Rapid Removal of Excess turn-ins, ammunition draws to enable 3rd Infantry Division training, and deployment outload support to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division in preparation for a European Command Regionally Aligned Forces deployment,” said Randolph.
Randolph added the battalion’s response to Hurricane Milton was similar, involving extensive logistical coordination.
“For Hurricane Milton, we integrated in planning and synchronizing logistics support to the Garrison, 3rd Infantry Division, Task Force 51, and inter-agency partners in support of Hurricane Milton post landfall,” Randolph said. “We issued over 1,700 cases of MREs and 400 cases of bottled water to 3rd Infantry Division support of Hurricane Milton.”
The 406th was able to aid in relief efforts through the Defense Support to Civil Authorities initiative. This allows civil authorities to request assistance from the military during or after humanitarian crises or emergencies to augment relief efforts. The request is usually submitted by the lead federal agency, such as FEMA, providing relief.
“Conducting this important mission required synchronization and coordination between Title X, Title 32, FEMA, state agencies, Defense Logistics Agency and Army depots throughout the United States,” explained Col. Albert Davis, commander, 406th AFSB.
“I found the damage from the hurricanes to be heartbreaking in how quickly they altered so many lives. I was happy our battalion could provide a piece of the support pushed forward,” Rupp said.
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