21st Sustainment Command (Theater)
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The 21st Theater Sustainment Command (21st TSC) provides
theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...
sustainment throughout
EUCOM The United States European Command (EUCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, the ...
and AFRICOM Areas of Responsibility in support of USAREUR and 7th Army. On order, it deploys to support theater opening, distribution, and Reception, Staging, Onward Movement & enable Integration (RSO&I) functions. It is prepared to support Joint and Coalition forces.


History

The heritage of 21st Theater Sustainment Command began on 23 June 1965 with the activation of the 1st Support Brigade. The 21st TSC originated as a maintenance support headquarters under Seventh Army Support Command, the brigade's first home was Taylor Barracks, Mannheim, Germany. After the United States military withdrawal from France in 1967 and the organization of the U.S. Theater Army Support Command, Europe, informally known as TASCOM, the brigade became the rear-area counterpart of the newly formed corps support commands. Assigned to TASCOM in 1969, 1st Support Brigade was responsible for Prepositioning of Materiel Configured to Unit Sets (
POMCUS POMCUS (Prepositioning Of Materiel Configured in Unit Sets) was a system that kept large amounts of pre-positioned U.S. military equipment in West Germany during the Cold War. The program was started in 1961. In the event of war with the Soviet Un ...
) and provided combat service support for U.S. units in the area west of the Rhein River. In 1974, TASCOM was merged with Headquarters,
United States Army Europe United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICO ...
, and the missions of 1st Support Brigade were expanded to include base operations support for eight military communities as well as the management of regional area support. The brigade was upgraded to a general officer command and the headquarters moved to Kleber Kaserne, Kaiserslautern, Germany. By mid-1976 the 1st Support Brigade's personnel strength was approximately 16,000 – the largest brigade in the U.S. Army. Consequently, the Department of the Army approved the elevation of the commander's position to major general and on 19 August 1976 the brigade was re-designated 21st Support Command. The command came to include the 47th Area Support Group with a major depot located at
RAF Burtonwood Royal Air Force Burtonwood (or RAF Burtonwood) is a former Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces base that was located in Burtonwood, Northwest of Warrington in Cheshire, England. The base was opened in 1940 in response to World W ...
,
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, stockpiling POMCUS equipment. Other units included
Combat Equipment Group Europe Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is resorted to either as a method of ...
, 29th Area Support Group, and 60th Ordnance Group. During the next several years, important missions and units were assigned to the 21st and, in June 1981, the President of the United States elevated the commander's position to lieutenant general, reflecting the organization's status as a Theater Army Area Command. Accordingly, on 18 October 1988, 21st Support Command was officially re-designated the 21st Theater Army Area Command. After the
dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...
, U.S. forces in Europe began a reduction in personnel to accompany the reduced threat. Authorizations for both military and civilian positions were decreased substantially and, in 1993, the grade of the 21st TAACOM commander was returned to major general. On 18 October 2000 the 21st TAACOM structure was replaced by the Army and U.S. Army Europe and transformed into the 21st Theater Sustainment Command (TSC). In 2006, the 21st TSC HQ further changed by absorbing some functions of some of its former units, such as the 200th MMC (Material Management, formerly the US Army Material Command, Europe,(MATCOM) located in Zweibruecken, and 1st TMCA (Transportation Movement Control) because these units deactivated. This change made the 21st the Army's largest forward deployed
military formation Military organization ( AE) or military organisation ( BE) is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. Formal military organization tends to use hierarc ...
. The command stayed a major forward presence in theater logistics in support of Central Region, Europe. Throughout this evolution the 21st has retained the lineage and honors, distinguishing flag (colors), and distinctive unit badge and shoulder sleeve insignia of the "FIRST IN SUPPORT!"


Structure 2023

As of May 2023 21st Theater Sustainment Command consists of the following units: * 21st Theater Sustainment Command, in
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
** Special Troops Battalion, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, in Kaiserslautern ** 7th Mission Support Command, in Kaiserslautern (
US Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. History Origi ...
) ** 7th Engineer Brigade, in
Ansbach Ansbach ( , ; ) is a city in the Germany, German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk, administrative region of Mittelfranken, Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränk ...
**
16th Sustainment Brigade The 16th Sustainment Brigade is a Sustainment Brigade, sustainment brigade of the United States Army based at Smith Barracks in Baumholder, Germany. It is a subordinate unit of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command of the Seventh United States Ar ...
, in
Baumholder Baumholder () is a town in the Birkenfeld (district), Birkenfeld Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France. The town of Baumholder is the a ...
**
18th Military Police Brigade The 18th Military Police Brigade is a military police brigade of the United States Army based in Vilseck, Germany, with subordinate battalions and companies stationed throughout Germany. It provides law enforcement and force protection duties to ...
, in Grafenwöhr ** 30th Medical Brigade, in
Sembach Sembach is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It forms part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Enkenbach-Alsenborn. The town is nestled in the Palatinate Forest Nature Park between Kaiser ...
** 405th Army Field Support Brigade, in Kaiserslautern ** 409th Contracting Support Brigade, in Kaiserslautern ** Area Support Group - Balkans, at
Camp Bondsteel Camp Bondsteel is the operation headquarters of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Kosovo. It is located near Ferizaj in southeastern Kosovo. It is the Regional Command-East headed by the United States Army (U.S. Army) and it is supported by troops from ...
, (
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
) ** Area Support Group - Black Sea, at
Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base The 57th Air Base "Captain Aviator Constantin Cantacuzino" (), also known as Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, is a Romanian Air Force base located near Constanța, at the Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport. It is home to the 572nd Helicopte ...
, (
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
) ** Area Support Group - Poland, in
Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
(
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
) ** 1st Theater Personnel Operations Center, in Kaiserslautern ** 266th Financial Management Support Center, in Kaiserslautern ** Theater Logistics Support Center - Europe, in Kaiserslautern *** Maintenance Activity Kaiserslautern, in Kaiserslautern *** Maintenance Activity Vilseck, in
Vilseck Vilseck is a town and municipality () in the Oberpfalz region of northeastern Bavaria, Germany, situated on the river Vils, a tributary of the Naab river. , Vilseck's population was 6,768 citizens, who live within an area of consisting of Vi ...
*** 6966th Transportation Truck Terminal, in Kaiserslautern *** Supply Activity Europe, in Kaiserslautern *** Ammunition Center Europe, in Miesau


Former notable members

* Steven A. Shapiro, previous commanding general * Joe Weingarten, honorary colonel


References


External links


21st Theater Sustainment Command
{{United States Army Europe and Africa Theater 021 Military units and formations established in 2000