16th Sustainment Brigade
| 16th Sustainment Brigade | |
|---|---|
 16th Sustainment Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia | |
| Active | July 16, 2007 – Present |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | United States Army |
| Branch | Active duty |
| Type | Sustainment Brigade |
| Role | Sustainment |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 21st Sustainment Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Bamberg, Germany |
| Motto(s) | Logistics: The Ket to Win[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | COL Martin B. Pitts[2] CSM James E. Spencer |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive Unit Insignia | File:16SUSBDEdui.jpg |
The 16th Sustainment Brigade is a sustainment brigade of the United States Army based in Bamberg, Germany. It is a subordinate unit of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command of the Seventh Army.
Activated in the summer of 2007, the brigade traces its lineage to the 7th and 16th Corps Support Groups which combined to form it. As the only sustainment brigade active in US Army Europe, the brigade provides sustainment for all of the forces of US Army's commands for Europe and Africa. It saw two deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as the 16th Corps Support Group. It is currently deployed to Iraq for its first tour as a Sustainment brigade.
Organization
The 16th Sustainment Brigade is directly subordinate to the 21st Theater Sustainment Command,[3] which in turn is subordinate to the Seventh Army, United States Army Europe.[4]
Headquarters and Headquarters Company is located at US Army Garrison, Bamberg, and has three battalions permanently attached to it.[5] Also located at Bamberg are the 16th Special Troops Battalion and 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. The 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion is located at Grafenwohr, Germany.[6]
History
Origin
The unit was first constituted on October 29, 1965 in the Regular Army as the 16th General Support Group.[7] It was then activated on December 10, 1965 in the Dominican Republic.[7] The group returned to the continental United States and was subsequently inactivated on September 19, 1968 at Fort Benning, Georgia.[7]
The group was redesignated on September 16, 1987 as the 16th Support Group and activated in Germany.[7] Through the 1990s, the 16th CSG also participated in operations in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Kosovo.[2] It received its distinctive unit insignia on April 14, 1988.[1]
On May 1, 2002, the group was re-aligned to include the 181st Transportation Battalion located at Turley Barracks in Manheim, Germany, and the 485th Corps Support Battalion, located on Hutier Kaserne, to increase their combat service support capabilities.[2] In March of 2003, the 16th Corps Support Group and its battalions deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The group provided logistical support to include direct support maintenance, transportation and supply support to all units in the operation.[2]
The group saw a second deployment to Iraq in October 2005.[8] During this deployment, soldiers of the brigade executed over 1,500 sustainment convoys which provided over 250 million gallons of fuel, 1 million cases of bottled water and 60 million gallons of purified water to allied forces.[8] On September 19, 2006, the group rotated out of Iraq and back to Germany, replaced by the 82nd Sustainment Brigade.[8]
Activation
In January 2007, the lineage and honors were designated to be transferred to the 16th Sustainment Brigade.[2] On July 16, 2007 the group was reorganized as part of an effort to reform support groups into larger, more versatile sustainment brigades. It became the 16th Sustainment Brigade and was subsequently activated at Warner Barracks in Bamberg, Germany.[7] The 16th Corps Support Group and the 7th Corps Support Group had been deactivated and combined to form the new formation. Their subordinate units had been moved and redesignated as well.[9] This move made the 16th Sustainment Brigade the only brigade-sized logistics unit supporting United States Army Europe. It was put under the command of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command.[10] The move was part of an overall streamlining of the Command's logistics element, as all major logistics formations were redesigned to be modular and more efficient.[11] The sustainment brigade not only retained all previous logistics functions and responsibilities, but also assumed additional services, like finance, medical and signal capabilities.[10] The brigade was composed of the 16th Special Troops Battalion headquartered at Bamberg, the 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion at Bamberg, and the 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion in Grafenwoehr.[2] It also received its shoulder sleeve insignia.[1]
On November 29, 2007, it was announced that the 16th Sustainment Brigade would be deployed to Iraq in summer of 2008. It would be part of a force of 8,000 soldiers from US Army Europe to deploy.[12] The brigade was just one of over 20 major units from Europe to deploy to the Middle East in 2008; most of these units came from the 21st Sustainment Command and V Corps.[13] Throughout the Spring of 2008, the unit prepared for the deployment by conducting training exercises in Germany.[9]
In July 2008, the brigade deployed to Iraq for its first tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a sustainment brigade. Its mission in the country was to provide sustainment and force protection operations in support of Multi-National Division North with life support and logistical operations.[2] On July 22, 2008, the brigade's soldiers underwent final preparations before departing Rammstein Air Base for northern Iraq.[14] The brigade operated out of Contingency Operating Base Q-West, which was supported by a dozen Iraqi small businesses.[15]
In October 2008, the brigade's leaders attended a conference at Joint Base Balad. Hosted by the 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), the conference was attended by the 1st, 7th, 16th, 55th, and 371st Sustainment Brigades, as well as the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. They discussed streamlining and coordinating sustainment throughout the region.[16] Among the brigade's operations was a water project in the Ninewa province. The brigade operated with US Air Force and Iraqi Army engineers to repair infrastructure that brought water from the Tigris River to the entire province, including the base.[17] The brigade has also undertaken several other support duties for units operating throughout northern Iraq.[18]
The brigade is scheduled to participate in joint exercises with the 18th Military Police Brigade and other elements of the 21st Theater Support Command in Spring of 2009. The exercises will involve extensive battle simulations and role play missions to test the overall effectiveness of the units.[19]
Honors
Unit Decorations
| Ribbon | Award | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) | 2003–2004 | for service in Southwest Asia |
|
Superior Unit Award | 1995–1996 |
Campaign Streamers
| Conflict | Streamer | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Gulf War | Defense of Saudi Arabia | 1990–1991 |
| Gulf War | Liberation and Defense of Kuwait | 1990–1991 |
| Gulf War | Cease-Fire | 1990–1991 |
| Iraq War | Operation Iraqi Freedom I | 2003–2004 |
| Iraq War | Operation Iraqi Freedom III | 2005–2006 |
| Iraq War | Operation Iraqi Freedom VIII | 2008–2009 |
References
- ^ a b c The Institute of Heraldry: 16th Sustainment Brigade, The Institute of Heraldry. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g 16th Sustainment Brigade Homepage: History, 16th Sustainment Brigade Staff. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ 21st Theater Sustainment Command Homepage, 21st Theater Sustainment Command. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ US Army Europe Homepage: Units, Seventh Army Staff. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ USAG Bamberg Homepage: Tenant Units, USAG Bamberg. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ 16th Sustainment Brigade Directory, 16th Sustainment Brigade Staff. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ a b c d e Lineage and Honors Information: 16th Sustainment Brigade, US Army Center for Military History. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ a b c Baumgartner, Robert. Troopers Have New Mission in Southern Iraq, DefendAmerica.mil. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ a b St. Clair, Marcus. Unit prepares for first deployment under new name, Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ a b Lantz, Angelika. 16th Sustainment Brigade activates, 21st Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ Leeds, Kenneth. Logistics transformation in Europe. US Army Acquisition Support Center. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ Montgomery, Nancy USAREUR Announces '08 Deployments, Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ Tice, Jim. U.S. Army Europe announces deployments, Army Times. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ Porter, Cameron. Soldiers of the 16th Sustainment Brigade load up, move out for deployment in Iraq, 21st Theater Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ Anderson, Keith. Soldiers Promote Iraqi Economic Opportunity, Self-reliance, Special to American Forces Press Service. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ Tucker, Amanda. Leaders Attend Commanders Conference, 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ Sustainment brigade takes on Iraqi water issues, 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ The Q-West Knight: Volume 1, Issue 3. November 2008, Multi-National Corps Iraq Public Affairs. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ Porter, Cameron. Exercise tests 21st Theater Sustainment Command's ability to operate in contingency environments, 21st Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs. Retrieved 2008-12-02.