Military

Miesau Army Depot
Miesau Depot AHP

Several US Army Europe installations are scattered throughout the KMC. The Army installations stretch from the east side of Kaiserslautern, west to Miesau and south to Pirmasens. West of ROB is the Miesau Army Depot, home of the 191st Ordnance Battalion and the 23rd Ordnance Company.

Miesau Army Depot is the largest ammunition storage area outside the United States. Its mission is to issue, receive, store, transship, inspect, inventory, and maintain ammunition stock records accounting. Covert Munitions Specialists were stationed at Miesau Army Depot during the late 1960s. The Reserve Storage Activity, Miesau is under the jurisdiction of 21 st Theater Support Command (Provisional). The 191 st Ordnance Battalion is a subordinate activity of 21 st Theater Support Command (Provisional) and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the ammunition stored at the Reserve Storage Activity.

In 1990, the Technical Escort Unit conducted a historically significant project called Operation Golden Python. The project, also known as Operation Steel Box, was the movement of over 100,000 toxic chemical artillery projectiles from the Federal Republic of Germany to Johnston Atoll. Secondary Steel Containers (SSC) were used to overpack the toxic chemical munitions (TCMs) that were removed from the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to Johnston Island (JI) during Operation Steel Box. The actual operation started on 26 July with the beginning of 28 road convoys that moved the munitions 30 miles from the Clausen storage depot to the railhead at Miesau Army Depot. The last road convoy to Miesau was 1 September 1990.

Automatic identification technology (AIT) refers to a family of devices that capture, retain, and retrieve data quickly and accurately. AIT devices use a variety of read-and-write data-storage techniques to process asset identification information. These technologies include, but are not limited to, bar codes, magnetic strips, integrated circuit ("smart") cards, optical memory cards, radio frequency identification (RFID) devices, and magnetic storage media.

In December 1995, the Logistics Integration Agency in Alexandria, Virginia, hosted a meeting of representatives of the ammunition community. The major "stakeholders"-the Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM), Operations Support Command (OSC), Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC), and the Project Manager, Standard Army Ammunition System-Modernization (PM, SAAS-MOD)-agreed to develop and implement a proof of principle (POP) for integrating AIT into ammunition business processes under the auspices of the Logistics Integration Agency. OSC selected Crane Army Ammunition Activity in Indiana as its initial depot for AIT integration; MTMC selected the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, North Carolina, as its SPOE and the Port of Nordenham, Germany, as its SPOD. U.S. Army Europe joined the effort as a stakeholder and selected three sites in Germany-the Reserve Storage Activity at Miesau, ASP 1 at Vilseck, and ASP 8 in Weilerbach-for AIT integration. Phase I of the ammunition AIT project began in May 1996 and was completed in July 1998. During that phase, ammunition AIT integration was implemented at Crane Army Ammunition Activity, Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, the Port of Nordenham, and the ammunition supply points (ASP) at Miesau, Weilerbach, and Vilseck.

After the drawdown of forces, Miesau Army Depot was still expected to still maintain and account for all the ammo in the theater. Over time the inventory accuracy rate decreased due to the lack of work force.

During the late 1990s the Miesau Army Depot, 191st Ordnance Battalion, went through a transition called "Awesome Move" where they rewarehoused their ammunition, thereby improving their inventory accountability. Prior to Operation Awesome Move, the inventory accuracy rate at the depot was 83 percent. The Department of the Army standard is 95 percent. After the completion of Awesome Move the Depot is very close to a 100 percent accurate. It was the first time the depot had been closed and completely inventoried in the history of Miesau. During the closure, the 200th Materiel Management Center took all the staffing actions for the 21st Theater Support Command which allowed us to be able to complete our inventory.

Awesome Move, which began December 1998, was completed by September 2000. Prior to Awesome Move ammunition was stored at Miesau and Weilerbach Storage Area. Since the move, 90 percent of the ammunition is now located at Miesau. A total of 69,000 short tons of ammunition were moved during the rewarehousing. Now, since Awesome Move, all the ammo is segregated into different areas of the depot. When a soldier or local national goes into a magazine, they know exactly what type of ammunition they're going to pull out so there's no confusion as to what type of ammo is being issued. The success of the rewarehousing was due to the temporary hire of 115 local nationals. The local nationals conducted Awesome Move.

In April 1999 the 21st Theater Army Area Command was providing humanitarian relief for Kosovar Albanian refugees and supporting the deployment of U.S. operational forces to the area. With the mission of storing the theater's munitions, the TAACOM's role in providing support for the NATO strikes against Yugoslavia is crucial. They carry all the big bullets -- the missiles for the Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, the hellfire missiles for our Apache helicopters and the 30 mm (armor-piercing) rounds. Those munitions are stored at Miesau Army Ammunition Depot and maintained and operated by the 191st Ordnance Battalion, a 21st TAACOM subordinate command.

Two U.S. Army, Europe units - the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) and the 254th Combat Stress Detachment (CSD) of the 30th Medical Brigade -- relocated in the summer of 2000 to provide better command and control and improve services to USAREUR soldiers.

The 212th MASH moved to Miesau Army Depot in Miesau. Currently stationed in Wiesbaden, the unit has 37 wheeled vehicles, no tracked vehicles and 38 trailers and generators. It has 133 military positions and no civilian positions. The 212th MASH is a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital that provides medical support to V Corps soldiers. During peacetime its doctors are assigned to Army Hospitals in Landstuhl and Heidelberg.

The 254th CSD, also stationed in Wiesbaden, moved to Miesau Army Depot in Miesau. With 10 military spaces and no civilian positions, the unit provides medical care to soldiers suffering from combat stress.

The relocation of these two units to Miesau was a continuation of efforts to improve command and control of units and improve soldiers' working conditions. This move will help consolidate elements of the 30th Medical Brigade. The 212th MASH joined another battalion of the 30th Med Bde at Miesau - the 226th Medical Logistics Battalion. The move helped 30th Medical Brigade achieve efficiencies in management of resources and training. The move positions the 212th and 254th in close proximity to two key facilities, the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and the USAREUR Deployment Processing Center at Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern. The move imcreased flexibility in the assignments of doctors and other medical personnel who have traditionally been assigned to the battalion in Wiesbaden, yet worked in Landstuhl. Operational moves and TDYs for medical personnel were reduced. And as one of the most deployed units in USAREUR, having 212th close to USAREUR's DPC allowed for improved deployment training opportunities and quicker deployments in the event of short-notice contingencies.

The move of these two units enhanced the U.S. Army Europe's ability to manage its medical service personnel and increase the capabilities of the medical community to train and provide support to USAREUR soldiers.