The Army has relieved a colonel in charge of a brigade that provides field support to Army units in Europe and Africa, citing a “loss of trust and confidence in her ability to command.”
The commander, Col. Crystal Hills of the 405th Army Field Support Brigade, was fired in November by Army Sustainment Command boss Maj. Gen. David Wilson, service spokeswoman Kimberly Conrad confirmed Monday.
Conrad did not provide further details regarding Hills’ removal, including whether the Army is investigating any alleged misconduct.
The 405th AFS Brigade, headquartered at Daenner Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, Germany, falls under the 21st Theater Sustainment Command for U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
Hills took command of the brigade in 2022, according to an Army release. The brigade orchestrates acquisition, maintenance and other logistics for soldiers across Europe and Africa, as well as the joint forces that rely on Army stocks.
As a lieutenant colonel, Hills previously commanded the Army Field Support Battalion-Africa until 2018. The battalion managed the Army’s stockpile of weapons and supplies used by troops “south of the Alps,” particularly the 173rd Airborne Combat Brigade in Europe and Army units in Africa, according to an Army release. The unit also managed humanitarian aid supplies for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
The Army declined to say who has replaced Hills in the brigade’s top job or where she was reassigned.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
