The Army Reserve activated seven new units in Europe this month, including a brigade-level command that will support thousands of soldiers assigned to Poland and the Pentagon’s ongoing rotational response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
The 510th Regional Support Group and their Headquarters Company, located at the garrison in Sembach, Germany, was activated Sept. 14 at U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, according to an Army news release.
The 510th is now the only forward-stationed regional support group on the continent “organic to” Army Europe, the release said.
Col. Scott K. Thomson, deputy commander of the 7th Mission Support Command, officiated the activation ceremony.
“It’s becoming increasingly clear that our Army Reserve units and Soldiers in Europe are indispensable to the security posture to European Command, NATO and United States Army Europe,” Thomson said in the Army’s release.
The 510th will support base camp operations for more than 6,000 soldiers in Europe, including those with the Regionally Aligned Force in Poland and those participating in the Atlantic Resolve mission.
Also activated were the 83rd Sustainment Support Battalion and their Headquarters Company in Kaiserslautern, the 319th Military History Detachment in Wiesbaden, the 530th Movement Control Team in Grafenwoehr, and the 603rd Movement Control Team in Vicenza, Italy, under the 446th Movement Control Battalion.
The new units, as well as several other 7th MSC units, will be subordinate to the 510th as it assumes the higher brigade-level command and headquarters responsibilities, the Army release said.
RELATED
U.S. officials announced in June that there is a preliminary agreement to send about 1,000 additional troops and a squadron of Reaper drones to Poland to beef up the nation’s defenses.
There are currently roughly 4,500 U.S. troops that routinely rotate in and out of Poland. The latest release announcing the 510th’s activation said that the unit will support Army Europe and U.S. European Command more broadly.
Poland has spent the past year lobbying the White House for a permanent U.S. military presence in its country. As it stands, the Pentagon only plans to grow the current U.S. military rotations and training centers.
After Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, many Eastern European allies saw increased support from the U.S. military.
The Atlantic Resolve mission, which rotates armored, aviation and logistical brigades for nine-month missions, is designed to reassure allies in the face of increased Russian activity.
The Pentagon has also funded the European Deterrence Initiative, or EDI, since 2014, which funds infrastructure improvements, intelligence sharing, prepositioning of equipment and training.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
