{"id":103790,"date":"2024-01-29T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=103790"},"modified":"2024-01-30T17:36:58","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T17:36:58","slug":"40-years-at-dulmen-afsbn-germany-employee-knows-aps-2-site-better-than-anyone-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=103790","title":{"rendered":"40 years at D\u00fclmen: AFSBn-Germany employee knows APS-2 site better than anyone on earth"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>

\n
\n
\n Dave Simpkin is a local national employee and logistics management specialist with Army Field Support Battalion-Germany at the D\u00fclmen Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite. The 57-year-old former British army soldier has spent 40 years of his life at D\u00fclmen, including time there as a teenager when his father was stationed there and time there as a soldier, himself. When it comes to the facilities and the history of the D\u00fclmen APS-2 worksite, Simpkin is likely the most knowledgeable person on earth. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)
\n (Photo Credit: Cameron Porter)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

D\u00dcLMEN, Germany \u2013 Dave Simpkin\u2019s knowledge of the D\u00fclmen Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite in the North Rhine-Westphalia town of D\u00fclmen is impeccable. In fact, when it comes to the facilities and the history of the APS-2 site, he\u2019s likely the most knowledgeable person on earth.<\/p>\n

As a teenager in the early 1980s, Simpkin\u2019s father was a staff sergeant and a supply specialist with the British army stationed at D\u00fclmen, and Simpkin would visit the NATO storage and distribution depot often. After joining the British army, himself, Simpkin was stationed at what was then referred to as Forward Ordnance Depot D\u00fclmen in \u201987 and \u201888 as a staff clerk with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps.<\/p>\n

If that wasn\u2019t enough, following his enlistment with the British army, Simpkin took a local national civilian job working at the D\u00fclmen worksite and was employed there by the British for 27 years, culminating his career with the Brits as a warehouse supervisor in 2015.<\/p>\n

Less than two years later, the U.S. Army took command of D\u00fclmen, and Simpkin was back at the site again \u2013 this time working for the U.S. First, Simpkin worked as a contractor for six years in facilities and as a base operations manager, and now he\u2019s a local national employee with Army Field Support Battalion-Germany, 405th Army Field Support Brigade.<\/p>\n

\u201cI basically look after all the facilities \u2013 the buildings and the all construction, et cetera,\u201d said Simpkin who works in plans and operations and acts as a liaison between the contractors and AFSBn-Germany.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Simpkin, a logistics management specialist, said he also works directly with the U.S. Army Garrison Benelux Directorate of Public Works. USAG Benelux has overall responsibility for the facilities at D\u00fclmen, and Simpkin, as the primary liaison between DPW and his battalion, keeps the AFSBn-Germany site director informed and on top of things.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also look after the TDY vehicles, making sure they are serviced and maintained, and I look after the security side of things, making sure the military police have everything they need and we\u2019re doing everything properly,\u201d said Simpkin who works in base operations and facility security at D\u00fclmen. \u201cIf the contractors have any problems with the military police, I\u2019m there to help sort it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simpkin\u2019s knowledge of the worksite is impeccable, and having this base of knowledge readily available and there for his team is extremely helpful and important. With all the name changes, facility upgrades and changes to the site\u2019s mission over the years, Simpkin has been there through it all. The 57-year-old Brit from Colchester, England, has lived at D\u00fclmen for 40 years.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"40
\n <\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n
\n Dave Simpkin (middle row, third from left) is pictured here with the Royal Ordnance Corps Apprentice College in 1983, the equivalent to basic training and advance individual training for the British army. Simpkin, who was stationed with the British army at D\u00fclmen as a soldier in 1987 and \u201988 has spent 40 years of his life at D\u00fclmen. He now works in base operations and facility security for Army Field Support Battalion-Germany at the D\u00fclmen Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite. (Courtesy photo)
\n (Photo Credit: Cameron Porter)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Simpkin said the D\u00fclmen APS-2 site, which was under the command of the British from 1969 to 2016, was used as a forward ordnance, storage and distribution depot with various sorts of stores, or supply warehouses, used during major exercises and for contingencies. He said there were no vehicles stored and maintained at D\u00fclmen, then. Instead, there were mobilization, engineer and loan stores, which were part of the British army\u2019s supply system.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that time, if a conflict with the Eastern Bloc broke out, reinforcements from Britain would land in Antwerp, Belgium, and go to Recklinghausen to pick up their vehicles. Then, they\u2019d go to Wulfen [Germany] to pick up ammunition; they\u2019d come to D\u00fclmen to pick up the general stores they required; and they\u2019d go to a place called Warendorf [Germany] for petroleum before they would go to the frontline,\u201d said Simpkin. \u201cThey\u2019re all gone now, except D\u00fclmen and a small British enclave at Wulfen now occupied by the Bundeswehr.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the last couple of years under British command, the only mission at D\u00fclmen was the return of equipment back to Britain, said Simpkin. At that time, the manning levels at D\u00fclmen were extremely low, a stark difference from its heyday in the 1980s during the Cold War when over 800 personnel worked there.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"40
\n <\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n
\n Dave Simpkin worked for the British army at the D\u00fclmen worksite as a local national employee for 27 years. Pictured here, Simpkin works as a planning clerk at D\u00fclmen in the mid-1990s. He was also a dependent of a British soldier at D\u00fclmen. He was a British soldier, himself, at D\u00fclmen. He was a contractor working for the U.S. Army at D\u00fclmen, and now he\u2019s a local national employee working for Army Field Support Battalion-Germany at the D\u00fclmen Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite. (Courtesy photo)
\n (Photo Credit: Cameron Porter)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Simpkin said the current manning level at D\u00fclmen, including contractors, now stands at a hardy few hundred again. The worksite supports the 405th AFSB\u2019s APS-2 program and is comprised of about 140,000 square feet of hardstand space and approximately 480,000 square feet of humidity controlled warehouse space with an additional 140,000 square feet of storage in the maintenance and storage swing space areas. This includes the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency warehouse, which is approximately 80,000 square feet.<\/p>\n

The APS-2 mission at D\u00fclmen enhances U.S. Army Europe and Africa\u2019s readiness and capability to support the warfighter while simultaneously promoting stability and security in the region. By providing turn-key power projection APS-2 packages ready to deploy at a moment\u2019s notice, the D\u00fclmen APS-2 worksite is a key component of U.S. Army Europe and Africa\u2019s power projection and warfighter readiness missions.<\/p>\n

The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and under the operational control of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The brigade is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. Forces throughout Europe and Africa \u2013 providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command\u2019s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website<\/a> and the official Facebook site<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dave Simpkin is a local national employee and logistics management specialist with Army Field Support Battalion-Germany at the D\u00fclmen Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite. The 57-year-old former British army soldier has spent 40 years of his life at D\u00fclmen, including time there as a teenager when his father was stationed there and time there as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":103792,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=103790"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103796,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103790\/revisions\/103796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/103792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=103790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=103790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=103790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}