Gen. Mark Milley, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, and Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe visited a Military Air Base in Powidz, Poland, as part of their trip throughout Eastern Europe, Aug. 7, 2017.
Following a tour of the Polish Air Base, the U.S. Army generals met with the 497th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion’s senior leadership to discuss the strategic importance of having a centralized U.S. Army sustainment presence in Eastern Europe. “CSSB is the main sustainment support unit in Eastern Europe” said Capt. Keith Parchen, training and operations officer for 497th CSSB. “As of now we have about 800 Soldiers on ground, and the plan in five to ten years is to have 5,000-10,000 Soldiers here, so this is a growing area and it is going to get a lot bigger.”
“Gen. Milley and Lt. Gen. Hodges are touring Powidz because it has a lot of strategic value here, they’re getting a better idea of what operations take place here, how this location might be utilized in the future, the direction the installation is headed and how they can best utilize it to shape U.S. foreign policy goals and objectives,” Parchen added.
This U.S.-led effort in Eastern Europe promotes regional stability and security, while strengthening defensive and deterrent capabilities and fostering trust. The combined training opportunities that Operation Atlantic Resolve provides greatly improves interoperability amongst participating NATO Allies and key regional partners.
