Sustainers take charge in Afghanistan

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Michael Behlin | Maj. Gen. William E. Rapp, the deputy commander of United States Forces – Afghanistan, was the reviewing officer for the transfer of authority ceremony between the 4th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) held at Kandahar Air Field, May 7. During his speech, Rapp thanked the soldiers of the 4th ESC for their hard work and dedication during their deployment and expressed confidence in the 3rd ESC to carry on the mission.  

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN

05.07.2012

Story by Staff Sgt. Michael Behlin 

3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) officially took command of the Joint Sustainment Command – Afghanistan during a Transfer of Authority at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, May 7.

The 3rd ESC, based out of Fort Knox, Ky., took over operations from the 4th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), who is headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and commanded by Brig. Gen. Les J. Carroll.

Reviewing the ceremony was Maj. Gen. William E. Rapp, the deputy commander-support for United States Forces – Afghanistan, who thanked the 4th ESC for their hard work and diligence during their tour and expressed confidence in the 3rd ESC’s ability to carry on the mission.

“As the 4th ESC reflects over their past 12 months they can take great pride in their numerous accomplishments and find solace in the fact that as simple as it may sound, they made a difference and they made everything count,” said Rapp. “To the soldiers of the 3rd ESC, the theater of operations is a constantly evolving one. I know that each one of you are multifunctional and there are no one-trick ponies and I’m confident that you are up to the task.”

With the transfer, the Sustainers are now the senior logisticians in county and are responsible for all logistics operations within the Afghanistan theater. As the commanding element of JSC-A, the 3rd ESC will oversee more than 40,000 logistics soldiers, civilians and contractors providing support to United States forces, coalition partners and Afghan forces in theater.

While the 3rd ESC’s mission will be similar to that of the 4th ESC, Brig. Gen. Kristin K. French, commanding general of the 3rd ESC, said that she was confident in her Sustainer’s abilities to take charge.

“The 3rd ESC is ready to conduct our two critical missions, to support and sustain all U.S. and selected coalition forces throughout the country, as well as to assist in the responsible return of equipment and personnel,” said French. “I am confident we will succeed in both tasks.”

With its main mission being sustainment and logistics operations, the 3rd ESC’s support operations section will play a major role in the deployment. Col. Gregory Koller, the 3rd ESC’s support operations officer in charge, said that his section is ready and willing to fulfill the command’s mission.

“The transfer of authority means we’re ready, that we’re large and in charge,” said Koller. “It now falls on us to continue the challenging logistics mission we face here in Afghanistan.”

This deployment for the 3rd ESC marks the third since the command moved to Fort Knox from Wiesbaden, Germany in 2007. Before deploying to Afghanistan in April, the 3rd ESC deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and to Haiti in support of Operation Unified Response.

Command Sgt. Maj. Karl A. Roberts Sr., the 3rd ESC’s senior enlisted leader said that the transfer of authority is important to the command and the soldiers to which it supports.

“The ceremony is the culmination of all our pre-deployment training, relief in place and our commitment to the mission in accordance with the commander’s guidance,” Roberts said.

French said that she looked forward to leading the JSC-A, and thanked the 4th ESC for setting a high standard during their time in theater. She promised to improve operations even more during her time in command.

For the 4th ESC, the ceremony marked the end of a successful campaign in which Brig. Gen. Les J. Carroll, the commanding general of the 4th ESC, said that he appreciated everything that his soldiers accomplished during their deployment.

Fully trained and ready to assume the mission, the 3rd ESC and its soldiers are ready to assume the mission of JSC-A.

• Date Taken: 05.07.2012
• Date Posted: 05.08.2012 14:07
• Story ID: 88101
• Location: KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AF