82nd Sustainment Brigade conducts sustainment operations in support of FORSCOM units stationed at Fort Bragg while generating sustainment capabilities to meet rotational demand and respond to future contingencies.

This ongoing transformation sees the Army shifting away from a division-centric structure that was designed during the Cold War to fight a major theater war. The new modular, brigade-centric force is capable of deploying small or large packages of war fighters for indefinite periods, to various locations throughout the world.

One piece of this massive puzzle-process is the transformation of the command and control relationship between the 82^nd Airborne Division and the 82^nd Sustainment Brigade. After supporting the Division as a suborndinate unit for more than fifty-one years, the 82^nd Sustainment Brigade will officially detach from the 82^nd Airborne Division and attach to the XVIII^th Airborne Corps. This will bring the brigade in line with the rest of the active component sustainment brigades stationed stateside, by aligning the brigade under the senior U.S. Army Forces Command commander at each particular garrison.

The transformation is not without challenge though. Col. John E. O’neil, commander of the 82^nd Sustainment Brigade views the process with a calm sense of resolve.

"I think transitions are one of the most difficult tasks commanders have to do because you have to try and understand what the impact is across all of your systems. The mission is going to run, I have no concerns about that," O’neil said.

"The reason it is such an important commander responsibility to manage the transition is because you’ve got to focus on taking care of people. Good units communicate well, so you have to communicate vertically and horizontally throughout the organization and external to the organization, and make troopers and their families aware of what it is you’re trying to do. When you do that well, people have an understanding and commitment, and that is what transition is all about.

"You have to remove fear of the unknown, and then you can focus in on taking care of people and leading them through transition. The mission then will take care of itself," O’neil said.

Another challenge faced by the brigade is a systemic, mission-oriented identity crisis. For more than half a century the unit has been operating as a support element for the 82^nd Airborne Division, first as the 82^nd Division Support Command and later as the 82^nd Sustainment Brigade. Although the command relationships will change, and the staff processes may differ, the support relationship will remain the same.

"We are very comfortable operating as a support unit for the Division. We play short stop on that team and do it well. Now we are a new player on an established team. We’ve got to figure out what position they want us to play; we’ve got to understand the coaching philosophy, how they operate. In military terms, we’ve got to understand the

format, function, and frequency of their reporting; their command and control structure and processes, commander’s information requirements, and staff processes," O’Neil said.

The impact this transition into the XVIII^th Airborne Corps will have on families is little-to-nonexistent. The most readily apparent change to be perceived by 82^nd Sustainment Brigade troopers and their families will be the new beret flash and background trimming to reflect the new assignment.

Sustaining the force has been the mission of the 82^nd Sustainment Brigade since 1957 and will continue to be for the foreseeable future and epitomizing its motto, THE PROVIDERS!