1 TAPA, Estonia – DEFENDER-Europe 21 involves about 28,000 U.S., NATO and partner militaries from 26 nations conducting live fire exercises, airborne operations, missile defense activities and a multitude of complex, bilateral operations simultaneously.
To outfit an operation of this scale requires a lot of equipment. Several hundred pieces of equipment were shipped to Europe from the U.S. by cargo vessel, but over 1,000 pieces were drawn from the 405th Army Field Support Brigade’s Army Prepositioned Stock-2 sites here in Europe.
Rhona Habets, a heavy wheeled vehicle mechanic foreman at the APS-2 site in Eygelshoven, Netherlands, said her team helped to prepare all the vehicles for movement to Estonia, to include getting the vehicles certified by German inspectors for transport across international borders.
1 TAPA, Estonia – DEFENDER-Europe 21 is a highly complex, multinational, joint exercise involving over 26,000 forces from 26 nations conducting operations across more than 30 training areas in 12 countries. But how do you support all these troops logistically?
That’s a feat all to itself and one not taken lightly.
Army Capt. Triada Cross knows exactly what it takes to support DEFENDER-Europe 21. She’s the commander of the Base Operating Support-Integrator cell in Tapa, Estonia, for exercise Swift Response 21, one of several exercises being conducting simultaneously as part of DEFENDER-Europe 21.
“As the commander of BOS-I, I’m in charge of all the life support for all the U.S. Soldiers here in Tapa,” said Cross, whose normal job in Wiesbaden, Germany, is Contingency Command Post company commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. “I’m the tie between the support that’s happening on the ground and the units th
National Park Service selects Kandice Smith as regional comptroller Jackson native Kandice Smith named Regional Comptroller National Park Service (Source: National Park Service) By Howard Ballou | April 23, 2021 at 11:16 PM CDT - Updated April 23 at 11:16 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The National Park Service (NPS) announced the selection of Kandice Smith as the new South Atlantic-Gulf regional comptroller based in Atlanta, effective April 25.
“In her time with the National Park Service, Kandice has exhibited sound financial management and leadership skills,” said Regional Director Stan Austin. “Her business acumen and expertise are eclipsed only by her commitment to helping the region uphold its fiduciary responsibility.”
1 VILSECK, Germany – Even though there are more than 150 employees assigned or attached to the battalion, there are only two enlisted Soldiers working at Army Field Support Battalion-Germany – the battalion sergeant major and Staff Sgt. McKinely Suell III.
When you first meet this outgoing and highly animated staff sergeant, you can literally feel his energy. He presents himself very well – a professional Soldier, a great communicator and young Soldier at heart. But you might be surprised to learn he joined the Army almost 40 years ago.
“I signed a split option contract with the Army in high school and went to basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, in 1982 between my junior and senior years,” said Suell, a native of Boston, Mass. “And then I went to Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, the very next summer to become a medical specialist with the U.S. Army.”
1 VILSECK, Germany – When they were stationed in the Army together in Hawaii in the early ‘90s and met for the very first time, never would they have imagined they would move from duty station to duty station together, deploy multiple times together, and serve as Soldiers for Life together their entire adult lives.
Phil Smalley was an Army specialist serving as a power, refrigeration and air conditioning technician. Loriann Smalley was an Army sergeant working as a tactical communications network operator and maintainer. They fell in love and were married, and almost 25 years later they’re still together – and still serving together.