264th CSSB Soldiers replace 391st CSSB

By Spc. Larry Wesley
Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 264th CSSB

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq — The 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, commanded by Lt. Col. Steven S. Debusk, officially took the reins from the 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, commanded by Lt. Col. Ronald E. Pacheco, during a transfer of authority ceremony at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, May 25, 2009.

Based out of Fort Bragg, N.C., the 264th CSSB is now a subordinate unit of the 16th Sustainment Brigade, which is headquartered at Bamberg, Germany. During the ceremony, Debusk outlined his battalion’s purpose for the next 12 months.

“Our mission over the next year will be monumental,” Debusk said. “While the timing is somewhat indefinite at this point it is clear to me that we will play a pivotal role in the strategic repositioning of coalition forces over the next 12 months.”

Debusk noted that in order to accomplish this mission, the battalion’s Soldiers must be “forward leaning, agile and innovative in our thinking, always keeping the end state in mind.” “We must be comfortable with uncertainty and capable of bringing order to chaos,” he said.

For the deployment, Debusk summarized his keys for victory by stating, “For you at the company level discipline, adherence to standards and maintenance of basic Soldier skills will be the signature characteristics that will define success.” He asked the battalion to raise the bar and to double its vigilance and dedication as professional Soldiers. He also encouraged leadership to guard against complacency, citing that “complacency might be our greatest threat.”

Before finishing his speech, Debusk applauded what Pacheco and his staff had accomplished while deployed.

“You have done your duty well and can depart in good conscience knowing that these Soldiers will be cared for and we will continue to run the ball down the field,” said Debusk.

While deployed, 391st CSSB convoys traveled 2,159,347 miles, completing 1,200 missions. Additionally, the 391st conducted 15 Nonlethal Force Engagements consisting of humanitarian missions that are designed to improve relations between Iraqi citizens and Coalition forces around Tikrit.

The transfer of authority ceremony was held on Memorial Day, a time that commemorates those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Debusk expressed the importance in not forgetting those past warriors who came before us.

“We owe it to them, we owe it to each other, and we owe it to our families to maintain an offensive mindset,” he said. “I’d ask that you redouble your vigilance and dedication as professional Soldiers.”

The 264th CSSB looks forward to the challenges ahead and is poised to embark on this monumental time in history as Coalition Forces begin the draw down process.

82nd Sustainment Brigade Transformation

Sgt. Robert H. Baumgartner
82nd Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs


FORT BRAGG, N.C. – The Army has been transforming since
the 9/11 attacks, modernizing itself to integrate new concepts and an
organizational structure that will provide the flexibility demanded by
the War on Terror.

This ongoing transformation sees the Army shifting away from
a division-centric structure that was designed during the Cold War to
fight a major theater war. The new modular, brigade-centric force is
capable of deploying packages of war fighters for indefinite periods, to
various locations throughout the world.

One piece of this massive puzzle-process is the transformation
of the command and control relationship between the 82nd Airborne
Division and the 82nd Sustainment Brigade. After supporting the Division
as a subordinate unit for more than fifty-one years, the 82nd Sustainment
Brigade will officially detach from the 82nd Airborne Division
and attach to the XVIIIth Airborne Corps. This will bring the brigade in
line with the rest of the active component sustainment brigades stationed
stateside, by aligning the brigade under the senior U.S. Army
Forces Command commander at each particular garrison.
The transformation is not without challenge though. Col. John
E. O’Neil, commander of the 82nd Sustainment Brigade views the process
with a calm sense of resolve.

“I think transitions are one of the most difficult tasks commanders
have to do because you have to try and understand what the
impact is across all of your systems. The mission is going to run, I
have no concerns about that,” O’Neil said.
“The reason it is such an important responsibility for the commander
to manage the transition is because you’ve got to focus on
taking care of people. Good units communicate well, so you have to
communicate vertically and horizontally throughout the organization
and external to the organization, and make troopers and their families
aware of what it is you’re trying to do. When you do that well, people
have an understanding and commitment, and that is what transition
is all about.

“You have to remove fear of the unknown, and then you can
focus in on taking care of people and leading them through transition.
The mission then will take care of itself,” O’Neil said.

Another challenge faced by the brigade is a systemic, missionoriented
identity crisis. For more than half a century the unit has
been operating as a support element for the 82nd Airborne Division,
first as the 82nd Division Support Command and later as the 82nd
Sustainment Brigade. Although the command relationships will
change, and the staff processes may differ, the support relationship
will remain the same.

“We are very comfortable operating as a support unit for the
Division. We play short stop on that team and do it well. Now we are a
new player on an established team. We’ve got to figure out what position
they want us to play; we’ve got to understand the coaching philosophy,
how they operate. In military terms, we’ve got to understand
the format, function, and frequency of their reporting; their command and
control structure and processes, commander’s information requirements,
and staff processes,” O’Neil said.

The impact this transition into the XVIIIth Airborne Corps will
have on families is little-to-nonexistent. The most readily apparent
change to be perceived by 82nd Sustainment Brigade troopers and
their families will be the new beret flash and background trimming to
reflect the new assignment.

Sustaining the force has been the mission of the 82nd Sustainment
Brigade since 1957. From Operation Power Pack to Operation
Iraqi Freedom, the tradition remains unbroken, magnificent. Throughout
its history an into the foreseeable future, the 82nd Sustainment
Brigade epitomizing its motto, THE PROVIDERS!