Sustainment Soldiers host transfer of authority for mission in Poland

Photo By Sgt. Demetrysean Lewis | U.S. Army National Guard Lt. Col. Carlos Maldonado, the commander of the 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, gives his remarks on joining the 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade’s Task Force Provider during his transfer of authority ceremony in Powidz, Poland, March 11, 2024. 787th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion and 529th CSSB are among a multi-compositional array of units within 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division working alongside NATO allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s forward deployed corps in Europe. The 787th CSSB is based in Dothan, Alabama, and the 529th CSSB deployed from Virginia Beach, Virginia.  

POWIDZ, POLAND

03.11.2024

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Jason Hull  

3rd Division Sustainment Brigade

U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers deployed to Poland and assigned to the 787th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion cased their colors today and transferred responsibility for their logistics, maintenance, and supply missions to the Virginia National Guard’s 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion during a ceremony at Forward Operating Site Powidz.
The sustainment units deployed as part of a rotation of forces assigned to V Corps, supporting operations and training for collective defense and regional security in Europe. The Soldiers enable multinational training that increases military interoperability between the U.S. and its NATO allies and partners to deter aggression on the continent. They serve under the 3rd Infantry Division’s 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade, which leads a multi-composition force of Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard Soldiers providing critical support capabilities across as many as 13 countries.
“As the only rotational sustainment force assigned to V Corps, we contribute to our nation’s steadfast presence here, reinforcing long-standing commitments on NATO’s Eastern flank for collective defense and regional security,” said Col. Jennifer McDonough, commander of the 3rd DSB, speaking to the two units assembled in the post chapel for the ceremony. “We are grateful for your service and sacrifices.”
Known as Task Force Grizzly and led by Lt. Col. Jeoffrey Hall & Command Sgt. Maj. Clint Halstead, the 787th CSSB colors now return to Dothan, Alabama. While deployed and headquartered at FOS Powidz, the battalion provided command and control of more than 600 Soldiers at six different forward operating sites throughout the Central European and Baltic nations. The battalion managed hundreds of sustainment convoys and missions, traveling hundreds of thousands of kilometers, transporting hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of equipment and parts, and delivering millions of gallons of fuel. The unit employed a new Army concept of surge maintenance support to brigade combat teams, enhancing the readiness of units poised to respond to contingencies in the region. The Soldiers managed multiple supply support activity points and collected logistics intelligence to inform future support missions.
“The mission set before you is fluid and complex.” Hall said, offering advice to the incoming unit’s Soldiers. “Stay flexible and stay focused. Never lose sight of that Soldier in the field that’s awaiting that part, that piece of equipment, that fuel, food, or water. May your time here be as professionally rewarding and personally fulfilling as it was for us.”
After the outgoing unit cased their colors, Lt. Col. Carlos Maldonado and Command Sgt. Maj. David Elliott, the command team of the 529th CSSB, uncased theirs, symbolizing the unit’s arrival and assumption of the sustainment mission. Dubbed Task Force Cavalier, the unit marked their federal active-duty mobilization, bid farewell to their friends and families, and cased their colors in a ceremony at their home station in Virgina Beach on Jan. 28. The Soldiers then traveled to Fort Cavazos, Texas, for a collective training exercise to validate the unit’s readiness for their deployed mission, concluding training on Feb. 16.
Prior to their CTE, the Cavalier Soldiers certified on small arms and machine gun live-fire ranges and rehearsed tactical task proficiencies at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. The 529th also demonstrated readiness for their inherited mission in the Army’s premier crucible training experience at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Louisiana, last summer. The battalion managed a division support area for the Hawaii National Guard’s 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, where they provided command and control of more than 400 National Guard Soldiers of units from five states and delivered all classes of supplies. This is the fourth federal active-duty deployment for the 529th CSSB since being federally recognized in 2009, with previous deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait.
“We are proud to continue sustaining operations [here],” said Maldonado. “To the Soldiers of Task Force Cavalier, our time is now. The opportunity is here. I have full confidence that you will continue to perform at the highest level. I am always proud and humbled to have the opportunity to stand here as ‘Cavalier 6.’”

• Date Taken: 03.11.2024
• Date Posted: 03.11.2024 11:17
• Story ID: 465869
• Location: POWIDZ, PL