279th Base Support Battalion

In 2005, an official ceremony in Heidelberg, Germany marked the reflagging of the Installation Management Agency - Europe's Area Support Groups, Base Support Battalions, and Area Support Teams into 21 US Army Garrisons to align with the common US Army installation management structure worldwide, known as Standard Garrison Organization. As a result, the 279th Base Support Battalion was inactivated and reflagged as the US Army Garrison Bamberg.

The 279th Base Support Battalion exercised command and control over the Bamberg German/American Military Community located in the Upper Franconia Region of Bavaria in Germany. The 279th Base Support Battalion was one of 4 subordinate elements of the 98th Area Support Group, headquartered in Wuerzburg, Germany. The 98th Area Support Group was part of the community structure of the US Army Europe (USAEUR), located in Heidelberg, Germany.

The 279th Base Support Battalion's military community was home to units from V Corps, 1st Infantry Division, 3rd Corps Support Command and various other tactical and support organizations.

The 279th Base Support Battalion was responsible for all community functions and could reasonably be compared to the government of a small city in the United States. These functions included infrastructure, housing, social services, law enforcement, budget and administration. In addition to running the "town's" daily business, the 279th Base Support Battalion had the uniquely military role of ensuring that its tenant units had the resources and support they required to perform their various missions. These responsibilities included 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 involved care of the morale and recreational needs of soldiers and their families. The 279th Base Support Battalion performed 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 Base Support Battalion community enjoyed an excellent relationship with its host city of Bamberg, a United Nations World Heritage Site. There was continual interaction between the city government, the Battalion command and staff, soldiers, German families and all members of the military community in the many partnership events occurring each year.

Finally, the 279th Base Support Battalion was consistently recognized as a top military organization by the Army Community of Excellence program with wins every year for over a decade. It had earned and been awarded the ACOE Chief of Staff Award 3 years in a row, as well as being named USAREUR's top community.