U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to Luxembourg visits CRSF

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Markus M. Maier
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Members of the Central Regional Storage Facility in Sanem, Luxembourg, along with representatives from the 86th Airlift Wing hosted the new U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to Luxembourg Arnold H. Campbell for an orientation tour of the facility Feb. 4.

Thirteen Team Ramstein members, including Col. Stephen Lambert, 86th AW vice commander, Chief Mater Sgt. Vernon Butler, 86th AW command chief, Col. David Haase, 86th Logistics Readiness Group commander, and Maj. Ryan Coyne, 86th Materiel Maintenance Squadron commander, traveled to Luxembourg to introduce the chargé to the CRSF.

Chargé Campbell only recently assumed his post at the U.S. Embassy and currently serves as the top U.S. diplomat in Luxembourg. He joined Foreign Service in 1976 and most recently served in Malta.

"This was the very first trip I have made outside of the capital since arriving here only a couple of weeks ago," Chargé Campbell said. "This is an important site for the U.S. government, and a great joint venture between the United States and Luxembourg."

He added that he was impressed with the 500-thousand square feet facility which currently houses 85 percent of the United States Air Forces in Europe's War Reserve Materiel worth approximately $350 million.

"WRM items are strategically placed around the globe readily available for contingency operations," said Maj. Coyne. "At the CRSF we store, maintain and deploy everything from washing machines and tents to large items, such as fire trucks and aircraft refueling vehicles."

Day-by-day operations of the facility are handled by the Luxembourg Government Warehouse Services Agency with the oversight of the 86th MMS.

"We accomplish our mission here in partnership with our Luxembourg counterparts," Major Coyne said. "We have 106 Luxembourg service providers and three Luxembourg civil servants who maintain, store and inventory our equipment. And, while we have no U.S. military stationed here, technical experts from the 86th MMS travel to the facility on a regular basis to work alongside of our WSA counterparts."

Luxembourg, which at 999 square miles is slightly smaller than Rhode Island, presents itself as a very strategic location for the CRSF, according to Major Coyne.

"It's about 30 minutes from the Luxemburg Airport, which is C-17 capable," he said. "We are also close to rail head, shipping lines and only an hour and a half from Ramstein, which is a major air hub for the U.S. Air Force."

After his tour, Chargé Campbell said that the CRSF is a strong symbol of the solid partnership between the U.S. and Luxembourg.

"CRSF is much larger than I had envisioned," he said. "The facility and equipment look wonderfully maintained and ready to move. It underscores the mission of this facility, which is to be prepared to support our troops and air fields all around the world. I was very glad that I had an opportunity to come."