279th Base Support Battalion
The 279th BSB exercises command and control over the Bamberg German/American Military Community located in the Upper Franconia Region of Bavaria in Germany.
The 279th BSB is one of four subordinate elements of the 98th Area Support Group, headquartered in Wuerzburg, Germany. Other BSBs in the 98th ASG are the 235th BSB in Ansbach, the 280th BSB in Schweinfurt and the 417th BSB in Kitzingen. The 98th ASG is part of the community structure of the U.S. Army, Europe, located in Heidelberg, Germany.
The 279th BSB's military community is home to units from V Corps, 1st Infantry Division, 3rd Corps Support Command and various other tactical and support organizations.
The 279th BSB is responsible for all community functions and may reasonably be compared to the government of a small city in the United States. These functions include infrastructure, housing, social services, law enforcement, budget and administration.
In addition to running the "town's" daily business, the 279th BSB has the uniquely military role of ensuring that its tenant units have the resources and support they require to perform their various missions. These responsibilities include a multitude of logistical tasks such as maintaining training areas, providing personal equipment and operating transportation facilities enabling these units to deploy worldwide upon short notice.
A critical part of the Army's mission involves care of the morale and recreational needs of soldiers and their families. The 279th BSB performs this by offering a wide range of activities including sports and fitness, child and youth programs, a library, movie theater, arts and crafts center, shopping facilities and many other such activities.
The 279th BSB community enjoys an excellent relationship with its host city of Bamberg, a United Nations World Heritage Site. There is continual interaction between the city government, the BSB command and staff, soldiers, German families and all members of the military community in the many partnership events occurring each year.
Finally, the 279th BSB has been consistently recognized as a top military organization by the Army Community of Excellence program with wins every year for over a decade. It has earned and been awarded the ACOE Chief of Staff Award for the last three years as well as being named USAREUR's top community.
