Courtesy Photo | Col. Robert A. Dawson (far left), 402nd Army Field Support Brigade commander, and...... read more read more
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - The 402nd Army Field Support Brigade cased it colors during a ceremony here July 16 in preparation for a move to Hawaii where it will serve as the U.S. Army Materiel Command and U.S. Army Sustainment Command’s liaison to the field for the U.S. Army Pacific Command.
“This is a significant and historic day,” said Maj. Gen. Kevin G. O’Connell, commanding general, Army Sustainment Command. “The 402nd began as LSE [Logistics Support Element] Iraq and [over the years] was responsible for 20 percent of retrograde, filling critical shortages in the Army Prepositioned Stock 5 inventory and was instrumental in setting conditions for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, supporting European Command and Africa Command, and sourcing equipment for foreign military sales cases.”
O’Connell said the 402nd also worked with the 401st AFSB to set conditions to allow the 401st to seamlessly assume its mission of support to the U.S. Central Command.
Colonel Robert A. Dawson, 402nd AFSB commander said it is an honor for him and Command Sgt. Maj. Cheryl Greene to represent the 10 previous command teams that headed the 402nd over the last 12 years. He added that the command team represents the thousands of Soldiers, Civilians and teammates that have served the unit and represented the “U.S. Army Materiel Command and the U.S. Army Sustainment Command while supporting the many units that have rotated through the CENTCOM area of responsibility.”
“You can’t think about Iraq and not think of the 402nd; you can’t think about Balad Airbase and not think of the 402nd; you can’t think about retrograde and not think of the 402nd; you can’t think about APS 5 and not think about the 402nd; you can’t think about MRAPs and not think about the 402nd,” Dawson said. “The Army Materiel Command commander, General Via, continually states that AMC units exist to deliver readiness and deliver you did. You did not make history, you lived it.”
The brigade’s roots extend back to May 2003 when nine Logistics Support Elements located in Iraq were pulled together under the banner of Logistics Support Element-Iraq headquartered at Balad Airbase. This step enabled Logistics Support Element-Southwest Asia to focus on its mission to support in Kuwait, Qatar and Afghanistan. LSE-Iraq took on missions to up-armor and retrofit vehicles, manage Retrograde Property Assistance Teams, the Theater Property Book, route clearance support, and increasing numbers of fielding missions. The unit was officially activated as a Modified Table of Organization and Equipment unit on Oct. 16, 2006 and continued as the AMC single focus for operations in Iraq. As fiscal year 2010 began, the 402nd assumed responsibility for Army Field Support Battalions in Kuwait and Qatar giving it control over the entire retrograde process and freeing up the 401st AFSB to concentrate on Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The 402d AFSB also assumed direct responsibility for Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) operations in Iraq and Kuwait. The unit headquarters moved to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait in 2011 where the 402nd continued to support U.S. Army Central Command missions other than those occurring in Afghanistan until it cased its colors in order to relocate the headquarters to Hawaii to support U.S. Army Pacific Command.
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.29.2015 04:31 |
| Story ID: | 171390 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 352 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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