The 405th Army Area Assist Brigade commander, Col. Brad Bane, passes the Army Area Assist Battalion-Benelux colours to Lt. Col. Blake Smith, signifying Smith’s official appointment as commander of AFSBn-Benelux. Smith assumed command of the battalion from Lt. Col. Aaron Jones throughout a ceremony on the Zutendaal Army Prepositioned Shares-2 worksite in Belgium, June 16.
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ZUTENDAAL, Belgium – Throughout her latest go to to the U.S. Army Sustainment Command’s headquarters, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth mentioned it was wonderful that U.S.-based troops deployed to Europe earlier this yr had been capable of fall in on prepositioned gear and be out coaching within the area inside per week.
Liable for two of 5 Army Prepositioned Shares-2 websites in Europe, Army Area Assist Battalion-Benelux Commander Lt. Col. Aaron Jones performed a major function in these efforts, however on June 16 Jones accomplished his closing mission with AFSBn-Benelux.
As outgoing commander of the 405th Army Area Assist Brigade’s Benelux battalion, Jones relinquished command of AFSBn-Benelux to incoming commander Lt. Col. Blake Smith throughout a change of command ceremony on the Zutendaal APS-2 worksite in Belgium.
(From left to proper) Incoming Army Area Assist Battalion-Benelux Commander Lt. Col. Blake Smith, 405th Army Area Assist Brigade Commander Col. Brad Bane and outgoing AFSBn-Benelux Commander Lt. Col. Aaron Jones render honors to the Nationwide Colours on the AFSBn-Benelux change of command ceremony June 16 on the Zutendaal Army Prepositioned Shares-2 worksite in Belgium.
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Jones’ subsequent task might be with U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, as its inspector normal.
Smith arrives to AFSBn-Benelux from Charlotte, North Carolina, the place he served because the professor of army science on the College of North Carolina at Charlotte. He was commissioned as a quartermaster officer upon graduating from Wake Forest College, North Carolina, in 2004. He commanded a ahead assist firm with the 82nd Airborne Division, and whereas assigned to Joint Particular Operations Command he served as a logistics detachment commander, aide de camp, headquarters firm commander, assist troop commander, assist operations officer and the director of JSOC’s provide and logistics directorate.
The commander of the 405th AFSB, Col. Brad Bane, attended the change of command ceremony. Because the presiding officer, Bane accepted the battalion’s colours from Jones and handed it to Smith, formally signifying the change of command.
Throughout his remarks Bane spoke extremely of Jones and his two years answerable for AFSBn-Benelux, including that Jones got here up with the battalion motto “coronary heart, would possibly, thoughts and power” throughout his tenure.
“Nothing higher amplifies the kind of chief Aaron Jones is than these 4 easy phrases,” Bane mentioned. “Aaron Jones and this unit had been examined and have lived as much as their motto and all features of it.”
A warehouse on the Zutendaal Army Prepositioned Shares-2 worksite in Belgium supplied the backdrop for the Army Area Assist Battalion-Benelux change of command ceremony, June 16. Army Lt. Col. Blake Smith assumed command of the battalion from Lt. Col. Aaron Jones, and Col. Brad Bane, the 405th Army Area Assist Brigade commander, officiated the occasion and supplied visitor remarks.
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“Whenever you learn the U.S. Army lineage and historical past of this unit sooner or later, there might be a big part devoted to the feats of power you and your group have achieved within the final six months,” Bane mentioned to Jones. “You have got proved that APS-2 can work to discourage our adversaries and defend our allies in Europe. You have got left an plain legacy, which might be spoken of for years to return.”
Throughout his ceremonial remarks, Jones spent a lot of his time highlighting his individuals and the work they do on the APS-2 websites in Zutendaal and Eygelshoven, Netherlands. He supplied brief but poignant anecdotal examples of the above-and-beyond work his group has performed to assist Troopers.
“I would like each member of this battalion to know that what you’ve got performed actually issues and has made a distinction,” mentioned Jones. “It actually warms my coronary heart to see you placing in your all – your coronary heart, would possibly, thoughts and power – to guarantee that our mission was performed properly and performed proper.”
Army Lt. Col. Aaron Jones and his spouse, Jenna, are acknowledged by the 405th Army Area Assist Brigade commander, Col. Brad Bane, for his or her dedication to service and excellent assist to the Army Area Assist Battalion-Benelux group over the previous two years. Instantly following this awards presentation, Jones relinquished command of AFSBn-Benelux to Lt. Col. Blake Smith throughout a ceremony on the Zutendaal Army Prepositioned Shares-2 worksite in Belgium.
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“I’m proud to have had the consideration and privilege to work with you all, and I really hope that our paths will in the future cross once more,” Jones mentioned. “Battalion Benelux – Group Zutendaal and Eygelshoven – preserve doing what you might be doing with all of your coronary heart, would possibly, thoughts and power.”
When it was his flip to talk as the brand new commander of AFSBn-Benelux, Smith stored his remarks brief and to the purpose, specializing in the individuals of AFSBn-Benelux, primarily.
“It’s my honor to be welcomed as a part of this group,” Smith mentioned. “We straight assist the warfighter, and that’s performed by individuals. With out the individuals right here, the individuals on the opposite finish who obtain this gear can not do their job.”
“I’ve little doubt you’ll excel in your duties right here within the Benelux and proceed the good traditions and physique of labor this battalion produced over the past two years,” Bane mentioned to Smith.
Katie Smith, and partner of Lt. Col. Blake Smith, receives a bouquet of roses as a gesture of appreciation and a means of welcoming her to Army Area Assist Battalion-Benelux. Smith assumed command of the battalion from Lt. Col. Aaron Jones throughout a ceremony on the Zutendaal Army Prepositioned Shares-2 worksite in Belgium, June 16.
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Battalion Benelux is certainly one of 4 battalions assigned to the 405th AFSB. The battalion supplies mission command of APS-2 operations at Eygelshoven and Zutendaal, and is charged with offering and coordinating receipt, switch, storage and upkeep of APS-2. This permits commanders to conduct unified motion and carry out a full vary of army operations in assist of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The Eygelshoven APS-2 website supplies 450,000 sq. toes of local weather managed warehouse house in 9 warehouses in addition to 50,000 sq. toes of hardstand storage to carry and preserve APS-2 gear units. The Zutendaal APS-2 website maintains gear designated for a sustainment brigade and separate reporting items and encompasses 600,000 sq. toes of local weather managed warehouse house in 15 warehouses in addition to 40,000 sq. toes of hardstand storage.
The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and below the operational management of the twenty first Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The brigade is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and supplies materiel enterprise assist to U.S. Forces all through Europe and Africa – offering theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and know-how; and leveraging the U.S. Army Materiel Command materiel enterprise to assist joint forces. For extra info on the 405th AFSB, go to the official web site and the official Fb website.
