More EAS equipment arrives in Europe through Belgian port

Photo By Master Sgt. Warren Wright | An M2 Bradley fighting vehicle moves down the docks of Antwerp toward its holding area after being offloaded from the freighter ship “Resolve” April 24. The Bradley, along with other military combat vehicles and equipment, will move onward to Coleman Barracks in Mannheim, Germany, and will become part of the European Activity Set, a combined-arms group of vehicles and equipment that are pre-positioned in Europe to outfit U.S Army regionally aligned forces when they rotate into Europe for training or contingency operations. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Warren W. Wright Jr., 21st TSC Public Affairs)  

ANTWERP, BELGIUM

04.28.2015

Story by Staff Sgt. Warren Wright 

21st Theater Sustainment Command

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany –Members of the 16th Sustainment Brigade and 21st Theater Sustainment Command, along with other U.S. and Belgian agencies, coordinated and offloaded additional European Activity Set vehicles and equipment at the port of Antwerp April 24.

The more than 50 pieces of equipment will move onward to Coleman Barracks in Mannheim, Germany by way of barge and will become part of the combined-arms group of vehicles and equipment that are pre-positioned throughout Europe in order to outfit U.S. Army regionally-aligned forces when they rotate into Europe for training or contingency operations.

Included in the shipment were multiple M1 Abrams tanks, M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and numerous other equipment that will help rotational forces complete their training and mission requirements during their time in Europe.

In order to complete movements such as the one in Antwerp requires the coordination of multiple agencies such as the 21st TSC, 16th Sust. Bde., Belgian Army, Belgian port director, Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, as well as private contracting.

“There’s a lot of coordination involved in this movement,” said Maj. Brandon Wilkins, the 21st TSC’s Support Operations, Transportation Integration Branch Sea officer in charge. “If you can keep that synchronization going, it all comes together.”

The movement to Antwerp and onward to its final destination at Coleman Barracks has not been without its challenges.

“This has been different because it’s the first time we’ve used Antwerp for a mission like this,” said Wilkins, a Detroit native. “We were a little unfamiliar at first and there had been a lot of last minute preparation to make this happen.”

“It’s all come together though,” he added. “The equipment has arrived, and it’ll move on to its next destination soon.”

For the Soldiers involved, the operation was a great opportunity to test their skills at a job not many in the military get to do.

“I love port operations and especially being a part of the whole planning process,” said 1st Lt. Deniece Tukaufu, a mobility officer with the 16th Sust. Bde., and a native of Kapolei, Hawaii. “It’s not just about receiving the equipment and making sure the serial numbers are correct, but also scheduling the onward movement of the equipment.”

Tukaufu’s team, along with the Belgium Army, is also responsible for providing security and eyes on the equipment while it’s held at the port until it can be loaded onto a barge for onward movement.

According to U.S. Army Europe, the pre-positioning of vehicles and equipment in Europe will allow the Army to save time, money and resources by only rotating personnel into theater, rather than shipping large equipment back and fourth across the ocean. It also allows the Army to be more flexible and responsive in meeting the needs of combatant commanders in the region.

• Date Taken: 04.28.2015
• Date Posted: 04.28.2015 08:51
• Story ID: 161511
• Location: ANTWERP, BE
• Hometown: DETROIT, MI, US
• Hometown: KAPOLEI, HI, US