16th Sustainment Brigade

The unit was first constituted on 29 October 1965 in the Regular Army as the 16th General Support Group.[4] It was then activated on 10 December 1965 in the Dominican Republic.[4] The group returned to the continental United States and was subsequently inactivated on 19 September 1968 at Fort Benning, Georgia.[4]

The group was redesignated on 16 September 1987 as the 16th Support Group and activated in Germany.[4] Through the 1990s, the 16th CSG also participated in operations in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Kosovo.[5] It received its distinctive unit insignia on 14 April 1988.[6]

On 1 May 2002, the group was re-aligned to include the 181st Transportation Battalion located at Turley Barracks in Manheim, Germany, and the 485th Corps Support Battalion, located on Hutier Kaserne, to increase their combat service support capabilities.[5]

In March 2003, the 16th Corps Support Group and its battalions deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The group provided logistical support to include direct support maintenance, transportation and supply support to all units in the operation.[5] During this deployment the unit and controlled 3,000 logistical soldiers provided a support role for Combined Joint Task Force 7 (CJTF-7) for combat and stability operations, including the invasion, for Operation Iraqi Freedom.[7] During this deployment they primarily operated out of Camp Dogwood.

HHC 16th Corp Support Group conducts Heavy Weapons Range in support of Convoy Logistic Patrols in Samawah Iraq 2006

The group saw a second deployment to Iraq in October 2005 while primarily operating out of Tallil Air Base and Camp Adder near An Nasiriyah Iraq. The 16th CSG also had support personnel located in Kuwait, Mosul, Baghdad and LSA Anaconda, LSA Taji, and other major bases around Iraq. 16th CSG Also provided support to Cedar II, Scania, Camp Charlie, Camp Delta, Camp Echo, Camp Duke and others with an area expanding from the Kuwait Border to LSA Anaconda[8][9] During this deployment, soldiers of the group executed over 1,500 sustainment convoys which provided over 250 million US gallons (950,000 m³) of fuel, 1 million cases of bottled water and 60 million US gallons (230,000 m³) of purified water to allied forces.[9] The 16th CSG also operated both the Air and Land Movement Control Centers with over rotary and fixed wing support for the 27th Movement Control Battalion and the 101st Airborne Division supply emergency support for camps and bases throughout Southern Iraq. During this deployment the 16th CSG also operated a Military Transition Team in the Southern Baghdad Area. During this operation they also controlled and supported logistic operations for such units for the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team,[10] 36th Infantry Division, and the 34th Infantry Division. One of the other missions of the 16th CSG was their "S5 Section" which was Civil Affairs[11] On 19 September 2006, the group rotated out of Iraq and back to Germany, replaced by the 82nd Sustainment Brigade.[9]

Upon rotation back to Hanau Germany the 16th Corp Support Group began deactivating and assisting in the deactivation of units throughout Europe. Soldiers left with the unit were attached to Task Force Sustainer which was a joint operation with the 21st Theater Support Command in the shutting down of Kaserne's and Units, and the retrograding of vehicles and equipment.

The brigade loads gear for a deployment to Iraq.

Brigade leaders meet with Iraqi officials at COB Q-West.

In January 2007, the lineage and honors were designated to be transferred to the 16th Sustainment Brigade.[5] On 16 July 2007 the group was reorganized as part of an effort to reform support groups into larger, more versatile sustainment brigades. It became the 16th Sustainment Brigade and was subsequently activated at Warner Barracks in Bamberg, Germany.[4] The 16th Corps Support Group and the 7th Corps Support Group had been deactivated and combined to form the new formation. Their subordinate units had been moved and redesignated as well.[12] This move made the 16th Sustainment Brigade the only brigade-sized logistics unit supporting United States Army Europe. It was put under the command of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command.[13] The move was part of an overall streamlining of the Command's logistics element, as all major logistics formations were redesigned to be modular and more efficient.[14] The sustainment brigade not only retained all previous logistics functions and responsibilities, but also assumed additional services, like finance, medical and signal capabilities.[13] The brigade was composed of the 16th Special Troops Battalion headquartered at Bamberg, the 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion at Bamberg, and the 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion in Grafenwoehr.[5] It also received its shoulder sleeve insignia.[6]

16th Sustainment Brigade soldiers in Iraq.

On 29 November 2007, it was announced that the 16th Sustainment Brigade would be deployed to Iraq in summer of 2008. It would be part of a force of 8,000 soldiers from US Army Europe to deploy.[15] The brigade was just one of over 20 major units from Europe to deploy to the Middle East in 2008; most of these units came from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command and V Corps.[16] Throughout the Spring of 2008, the unit prepared for the deployment by conducting training exercises in Germany.[12]

In July 2008, the brigade deployed to Iraq for its first tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a sustainment brigade. Its mission in the country was to provide sustainment and force protection operations in support of Multi-National Division North with life support and logistical operations.[5] On 22 July 2008, the brigade's soldiers underwent final preparations before departing Rammstein Air Base for northern Iraq.[17] The brigade operated out of Contingency Operating Base Q-West, which was supported by a dozen Iraqi small businesses.[18]

In October 2008, the brigade's leaders attended a conference at Joint Base Balad. Hosted by the 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), the conference was attended by the 1st, 7th, 16th, 55th, and 371st Sustainment Brigades, as well as the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. They discussed streamlining and coordinating sustainment throughout the region.[19] Among the brigade's operations was a water project in the Ninewa province. The brigade operated with US Air Force and Iraqi Army engineers to repair infrastructure that brought water from the Tigris River to the entire province, including the base.[20] The brigade has also undertaken several other support duties for units operating throughout northern Iraq.[21]

The brigade participated in joint exercises with the 18th Military Police Brigade and other elements of the 21st Theater Support Command in Spring of 2009. The exercises involved extensive battle simulations and role play missions to test the overall effectiveness of the units.[22]

In October 2010, the brigade served as the command and control element for Saber Strike 11, a cooperative training effort aimed at improving interoperability and preparing Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian and U.S. troops for upcoming deployments in support of the International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan.[23]

In July 2016, 23rd Ordnance Company, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Command assumed mission command of the logistics for Task Force Warhammer, in Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania.[24]